approve vs sanction

approve

verb
  • To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory. 

  • To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor. 

  • To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept. 

  • To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of. 

sanction

verb
  • To ratify; to make valid. 

  • To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions. 

  • To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance. 

noun
  • An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid. 

  • A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body. 

  • A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above. 

How often have the words approve and sanction occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )