permission

noun

per·​mis·​sion pər-ˈmi-shən 

1

: the act of permitting

2

: formal consent : authorization

Synonyms

• consent
• authorization
• granting

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

The General Assembly has given Mecklenburg County permission to put a referendum on the ballot to raise the county’s sales tax to fund road, rail and bus projects. —Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025

Run with permission of the author, courtesy of Bloomsbury Continuum, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. —Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025

Don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025

In the Tuesday statement, Nexperia also said the government’s intervention, prohibiting Nexperia from relocating company parts and making other decisions without the government’s permission, will last for a period of a year. —John Liu, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025

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