license

1 of 2

noun

li·​cense ˈlī-sᵊn(t)s 

variants or licence

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

license

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly licence

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

ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sə-bəl 

adjective

licensor

ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sər 

ˌli-sᵊn-ˈsȯr

noun

or less commonly licenser

ˈlī-sᵊn(t)-sər 

Did you know?

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").

Synonyms

Noun

• allowance
• authorization
• clearance
• concurrence
• consent
• granting
• green light
• leave
• permission
• sanction
• sufferance
• warrant

Verb

• accredit
• authorize
• certify
• charter [British]
• commission
• empower
• enable
• invest
• qualify
• vest
• warrant

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of license in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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 on the Web

Noun

Means' Oregon medical license expired in 2019 and was moved to inactive in January 2024. —Joey Garrison, USA Today, 23 May 2025

For instance, while Brazilian retailers may hold user funds under certain licenses, U.S. companies must partner with licensed financial institutions to offer similar experiences. —Carlos Netto, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

Verb

Organizations can redirect resources toward innovation rather than licensing fees by reducing their dependency on proprietary solutions. —Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

Paramount, for its part, seems content with strategically licensing its IP for immersive experiences, including an indoor theme park in New Jersey based on Nickelodeon, a deal to bring Spongebob to Universal’s Texas park, and now Top Gun. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing license

• a license to print money
• driver's license
• license number
• license plate
• marriage license
• poetic license
• under license

Rhymes for license

• licence

Kids Definition

license

1 of 2 noun

li·​cense

variants or licence

ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)s 

1

a

: permission granted by qualified authority to do something

b

: a document, plate, or tag showing that such permission has been granted

2

: liberty of action that is carried too far

license

2 of 2 verb

variants also licence

licensed also licenced; licensing also licencing

: to permit or authorize by license

licensable

ˈlīs-ᵊn-sə-bəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

license

noun

li·​cense

variants or chiefly British licence

ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)s 

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

a license to practice medicine

license transitive verb

or chiefly British licence

licensed or chiefly British licenced; licensing or chiefly British licencing

Legal Definition

license

1 of 2 noun

li·​cense

ˈlīs-ᵊns

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

license

2 of 2 transitive verb

licensed; licensing

1

: to issue a license to

2

: to permit or authorize by a license

Etymology

Noun

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