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
Devastating Pyrotechnics had no state license to manufacture or process fireworks, according to previous reporting by The Sacramento Bee. Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 Trump slashed access to healthcare benefits and prohibited deferred action holders from obtaining or using commercial driver’s licenses. Lauren Villagran, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Verb
Miranda’s Rescue has continued operating during the investigation because California does not require animal rescues to be licensed or regulated under a specific state law, Honsal said. Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026 If the company uses a geolocation provider licensed in another state, Michigan must determine whether the provider can comply with Michigan's regulations. Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 30 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
  • Overseas treatment providers may operate under different licensing, accreditation, regulatory, and oversight standards than facilities in the United States.
    Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • Representatives from the school have not yet responded to questions from The Charlotte Observer about the accreditation decision.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Proponents of the authorization note that the $155 million investment arrives four years after a severe drought in the Sacramento Valley in 2022 had cost local communities hundreds of millions of dollars and roughly 1,500 jobs.
    Lyanne Wang, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • For example, California’s prior authorization reform bill, SB 1120, passed in 2024 unanimously.
    Miranda Yaver, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • That political independence has enabled the Fed to make decisions that might be unpopular in the short term, but that have the best interests of the US economy in mind for the long term.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • The service enables anyone to show up at a DASH office with a package less than 16 ounces and get it on the next flight out, subject to Transportation Security Administration regulations.
    Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • That describes cases in which a broker enrolled a consumer in an ACA plan without their consent.
    Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Earlier this month, the court struck down a Hawaii law that prohibits the carry of a firearm onto private property that is open to the public unless the property owner gives express consent.
    Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • The Education Department’s civil rights office had long been the last resort for parents who believe their child is facing discrimination at school, with a mandate to review all complaints.
    Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • With James Dolan registering a mandate against going above the second apron, Knicks are not among the teams capable of giving Robinson a meaningful raise.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Better results at the plate have given the Phillies some latitude to make mistakes on defense.
    Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • While the effects of these pollutants are strongest at middle to high latitudes, variability is lowest near the tropics.
    Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 29 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 5 Jul. 2026.

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