permission

noun

per·​mis·​sion pər-ˈmi-shən 

1

: the act of permitting

2

: formal consent : authorization

Synonyms of permission

• consent
• authorization
• granting
• permit
• license

Examples of permission in a Sentence

They got permission from the city to build an apartment complex.

The teacher gave me her permission to go home early.

Recent Examples on the Web

Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

The court's conservative majority seem likely to rule against a Hawaiian law requiring owners to get permission before carrying a firearm onto private property that’s open to the public. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026

The chief justice argued that under the First Amendment, a candidate for public office can knock on a voter's door without needing express permission from the property owner. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

But Britain also feared that denying China permission to build its new embassy could harm trade relations between the two countries. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin permission-, permissio, from permittere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for permission

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

Kids Definition

permission

noun

per·​mis·​sion pər-ˈmish-ən 

1

: the act of permitting

2

: the consent of a person in authority

has permission to leave