license 1 of 2

variants or licence
Definition of licensenext

license

2 of 2

verb

variants also licence

Synonym Chooser

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.

freedom of the press

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of license
Noun
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Matt Motta, Fortune, 23 June 2026 What’s different now that Treasury has issued the license? Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 23 June 2026
Verb
Following a disclosure over the weekend that the stock photography agency would license its images in the search and discovery features of ChatGPT, investors more than doubled the value of Getty’s shares, though not such a mighty feat given the stock closed at 61 cents on Thursday. John Kell, Fortune, 24 June 2026 The pilot in the helicopter crash earlier this month at North Perry Airport, which sent a man and two kids to the hospital, doesn’t show up as licensed in the FAA database. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
  • Comic books until then had been strictly boys’-own adventures, with titles like Eagle and Hotspur, that gave young boys permission to revel in the grim 20th century wars their fathers had fought in.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Already, journalists from Iran and African countries face restricted entry despite accreditation by FIFA.
    Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • This integrated infrastructure, including a volunteer portal and accreditation system, enabled smooth operations for both Games, setting a new blueprint for future large-scale events with AI and enhanced cybersecurity.
    Mark Price, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • The plan includes more space for private businesses, imports and exports without state intermediation, free hiring of personnel, authorization for private banks and investment by Cubans abroad.
    Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
  • Drone operators who enter restricted airspace without authorization can face fines of up to $100,000, confiscation of their aircraft, and federal criminal charges.
    Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • In March, Zoox struck a partnership with Uber to make its robotaxis available through its ride-hailing app in Las Vegas, enabling it to reach a wider potential customer base.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 24 June 2026
  • These online collaborations have enabled Schultz to think more deeply about how weaving is a technology.
    Lua Vollaard, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • The consent order would be updated multiple times to give the company more time to plug remaining wells.
    Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • In the United States, at least 19 states have already passed laws restricting minors’ access to social media platforms — with eight states enacting outright bans or parental consent requirements.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 June 2026
Noun
  • However researchers say there is not a process to evaluate whether schools are fully adhering to the mandate.
    Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • Public health specialists have warned that military members may suffer unnecessary complications from the flu after the vaccination mandate was ended and fear that severe cases will continue to climb in subsequent flu seasons if preventive vaccinations aren't given to those most at risk.
    Luis Martinez, ABC News, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • Fin whales are typically found in deep, offshore waters in open seas, away from the coast, primarily in temperate to polar latitudes.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 22 June 2026
  • Cesare Attolini was in an escapist mood for spring, taking cues from safari explorations and the European chic riviera destinations to provide the globe-trotting wealthy pack a wardrobe befitting different latitudes.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • The Bureau of Land Management recently authorized construction of access roads, groundwater monitoring wells, and overhead power infrastructure on public land within the project area.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
  • But that refurbishment, authorized by a National Park Service contract in April, is only the latest in a saga of repairs, cleaning and improvement efforts that dates back more than 50 years.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 23 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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