license

play

noun li·cense \ ˈlī-sᵊn(t)s \

variants: or licence

Definition of license

1 a :permission to act

b :freedom of action

2 a :a permission granted by competent authority to engage in a business or occupation or in an activity otherwise unlawful

a hunting license

b :a document, plate, or tag evidencing a license granted

c :a grant by the holder of a copyright or patent to another of any of the rights embodied in the copyright or patent short of an assignment of all rights

3 a :freedom that allows or is used with irresponsibility

Freedom of the press should not be turned into license.

b :disregard for standards of personal conduct :licentiousness

4 :deviation from fact, form, or rule by an artist or writer for the sake of the effect gained

poetic license

—

licensed

play \ˈlī-sᵊn(t)st\ adjective

See license defined for English-language learners

See license defined for kids

Examples of license in a Sentence

The restaurant's owner applied for a license to sell liquor.
His job as a reporter gives him license to go anywhere and ask anything.

Recent Examples of license from the Web

Upon checking, police learned his license was suspended.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Blotter: 4 invalid license charges in Deerfield," 30 Aug. 2017
Authorities were looking for a green Lexus with Maryland license plates in connection with the shooting.

— peter hermann, Washington Post, "Juvenile wounded in shooting in Northeast Washington," 30 Aug. 2017
Residents at a recent Village Board meeting following the home invasion said that cameras that can read vehicle license plates are needed, particularly near the interchange of Harlem and Interstate 80.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Tinley considers beefing up network of surveillance cameras," 30 Aug. 2017
His business partner, Craig A. Reynolds, is a former insurance agent who had his license revoked in both Kansas and Missouri in 2009.

— andy marso, kansascity, "Missouri AG investigating complaints about health-sharing ministry that targets KC," 25 Aug. 2017
The owner of a Mexican restaurant and adjoining nightclub could be fined or lose his liquor license for a series of ordinance violations that have occurred in the last year, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said.

— david sharos, Naperville Sun, "Naperville Mexican restaurant charged with liquor code violations; owner could lose license," 23 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile the Bevin administration this year took aim at EMW, seeking to revoke its license over alleged deficiencies in its transfer agreement with physicians at U of L Hospital.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "U of L Hospital board could clear path for Planned Parenthood to offer abortions," 22 Aug. 2017
Both state and federal waterfowl stamps must be purchased, in addition to the regular hunting license, to hunt geese and ducks.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Bag a goose, solve a problem," 20 Aug. 2017
The rise of Donald Trump saw the emergence of Peter Thiel as a major political force in this realm, giving license to a handful of similarly minded tech leaders, like Oculus’s Palmer Luckey, to step out of the shadows.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Can the Far Right Secede From Silicon Valley?," 17 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'license.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Shared Roots of license and licentious

License and licentious come ultimately from the same word in Latin, licentia, whose meanings ranged from "freedom to act" to "unruly behavior, wantonness." The Latin noun was itself derived from the verb licere "to be permitted." Though we are likely to associate license with the card that grants freedom or permission to operate a motor vehicle and licentious with sexual wantonness, in actuality, there is considerable semantic overlap between the two words. Poetic license refers to deviation from a (usually) literary norm for some purposeful effect. A person who takes license with something (or someone) engages in "abusive disregard for rules of personal conduct." Hence, the semantic range of license in English mirrors that of its Latin antecedent, suggesting either permission or transgression, depending upon the context. Licentious, on the other hand, always implies excessive, transgressive freedom, as is true of its immediate Latin source, licentiosus "unrestrained, wanton" (literally, "full of freedom").

Origin and Etymology of license

Middle English, from Anglo-French licence, from Latin licentia, from licent-, licens, present participle of licēre to be permitted

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

license Synonyms

Synonyms

allowance, authorization, clearance, concurrence, consent, granting, green light, leave, permission (or licence), sanction, sufferance, warrant

Antonyms

interdiction, prohibition, proscription

Related Words

imprimatur, seal, signature, stamp; accreditation, certification; liberty, pass; concession, patent, permit; tolerance, toleration; acceptance, acquiescence, agreement, assent, OK (or okay); accord, grant

Near Antonyms

denial, refusal, rejection, revocation; taboo (also tabu); injunction, veto; deterrence, discouragement, repression, suppression; ban, embargo, exclusion

Synonym Discussion of license

freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. 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

liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

- the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

- freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

license

verb

variants: or less commonly licence

Definition of license

licensed also licenced; licensing also licencing

transitive verb

1 a :to issue a license to

b :to permit or authorize especially by formal license

2 :to give permission or consent to :allow

—

licensable

play \ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sə-bəl\ adjective

—

licensor

play \ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sər, ˌli-sᵊn-ˈsȯr\ or less commonly licenser play \ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sər\ noun

See license defined for English-language learners

Examples of license in a Sentence

The restaurant has now been licensed to sell liquor.
a new drug licensed by the government
The company licensed its name to others.

Recent Examples of license from the Web

The cellular industry has licensed patents at the device level for 30 years, and its core cellular technologies are what breathe life into smartphones with high speed, ubiquitous connectivity.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Qualcomm President Derek Aberle to step down as licensing battles continue," 24 Aug. 2017
Currently, 19,117 patients receive medical marijuana, and 724 physicians are licensed to prescribe it.

— vinny vella, courant.com, "Board Votes To Add Ailments To Medical Marijuana Program," 18 Aug. 2017
After months of discussion, council members Tuesday unanimously approved a switch from licensing individual taxi drivers to putting the onus on company owners.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville to license taxi companies instead of individual drivers," 17 Aug. 2017
Like her clay works licensed by Magenta, Dunn tells us the glassware collaboration will be offered exclusively at T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods to start.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "Here's Your First Look at Rae Dunn's New Glassware Line," 11 Aug. 2017
To be in violation of the law, a person must be licensed with the state, be within city limits and be practicing conversion therapy on a minor.

— lara korte, Cincinnati.com, "Want to complain about LGBT conversion therapy in Cincinnati? It isn't easy," 31 July 2017
Some license the Trump name for skyscrapers and hotels, often to politically connected local partners.

— The Economist, "Not one to avoid a conflictHow Donald Trump is monetising his presidency," 20 July 2017
In 2014, a student film from Millikan alum Cameron Covell was licensed by Google for a Super Bowl ad.

— erik himmelsbach-weinstein, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Valley Middle School Has One of the Best Film Programs in the Country," 10 July 2017
CPCs are storefront operations, often religiously based, that are neither licensed nor qualified to provide healthcare.

— nikki madsen, Teen Vogue, "Crisis Pregnancy Centers: What to Know," 21 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of license

see ¹license

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

license Synonyms

Synonyms

accredit, certify, charter [British], commission, empower, enable, invest, authorize (also licence), qualify, vest, warrant

Antonyms

disqualify

Related Words

approve, clear, credential, endorse (also indorse), OK (or okay), sanction; affirm, confirm, validate; inaugurate, induct, initiate, install, instate, swear in; allow, let, permit; enfranchise, entitle, privilege

Near Antonyms

ban, bar, block, constrain, deny, disallow, disbar, discourage, disenfranchise, disfranchise, exclude, hinder, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, prevent, shut out, stop; enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prohibit, proscribe, veto

LICENSE Defined for English Language Learners

license

play

noun

Definition of license for English Language Learners

: an official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use, or have something
: freedom to act however you want to
: the freedom of an artist, writer, etc., to change the way something is described or shown in order to produce a work of art

license

verb

Definition of license for English Language Learners

: to give official permission to (someone or something) to do or use something : to give a license to (someone or something)
: to give official permission for (something)
: to allow the use of (a name, property, etc.) through a formal agreement

LICENSE Defined for Kids

license

noun li·cense

variants: or licence \ˈlī-sᵊns\

Definition of license for Students

1 :permission to do something granted especially by qualified authority

a license to sell food

2 :a paper, card, or tag showing legal permission

a driver's license

3 :freedom of action that is carried too far

Bitterly did she repent the license she had given her imagination.
—Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

license

verb

variants: also licence

Definition of license for Students

licensed also licenced; licensing also licencing

:to grant formal permission

Medical Dictionary

license

noun li·cense

variants: or chiefly British licence play \ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)s\

medical Definition of license

:a permission granted by competent authority to engage in a business or occupation or in an activity otherwise unlawful

a license to practice medicine

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license

or chiefly British licence transitive verb licensed or chiefly British licenced; licensing or chiefly British licencing

Law Dictionary

license

noun li·cense \ ˈlīs-ᵊns \

legal Definition of license

1 a :a right or permission granted by a competent authority (as of a government or a business) to engage in some business or occupation, do some act, or engage in some transaction which would be unlawful without such right or permission; also :a document, plate, or tag evidencing a license granted

b :revocable authority or permission given solely to one having no possessory rights in a tract of land to do something on that land which would otherwise be unlawful or a trespass — compare easement, lease

c :a grant by the holder of a copyright or patent to another of any of the rights embodied in the copyright or patent short of an assignment of all rights

2 :a defense (as to trespass) that one's act was in accordance with a license granted

3 a :freedom that allows or is used with irresponsibility

b :disregard for standards of personal conduct :licentiousness

Origin and Etymology of license

Anglo-French, literally, permission, from Old French, from Latin licentia, from licent- licens, present participle of licēre to be permitted, be for sale

license

transitive verb

legal Definition of license

licensed; licensing

1 :to issue a license to

2 :to permit or authorize by a license

Learn More about license

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for license Spanish Central: Translation of license Nglish: Translation of license for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of license for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about license

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license

Definition of license

licensed

From the M-W Editors

Examples of license in a Sentence

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The Shared Roots of license and licentious

Origin and Etymology of license

license Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of license

Other Business Terms

license

Definition of license

licensable

licensor

Examples of license in a Sentence

Recent Examples of license from the Web

Origin and Etymology of license

license Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to LICENSE

Related Phrases

LICENSE Defined for English Language Learners

license

Definition of license for English Language Learners

license

Definition of license for English Language Learners

LICENSE Defined for Kids

license

Definition of license for Students

license

Definition of license for Students

Medical Dictionary

license

medical Definition of license

license

Law Dictionary

license

legal Definition of license

Origin and Etymology of license

license

legal Definition of license

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