unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed ˌən-ˈlī-sᵊn(t)st 

: not licensed: such as

a

: not authorized or permitted by a license

unlicensed merchandise

an unlicensed firearm

the unlicensed reproduction of books

b

: operating without a license

unlicensed vendors

an unlicensed electrician

unlicensed brokers

unlicensed drivers

Examples of unlicensed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The other man, who police said was unlicensed, was driving a Nissan Altima westbound on Oakport Street and failed to yield to the pickup truck before the vehicles collided, authorities said. —Harry Harris, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026

He was charged, along with two others, with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a handgun within 500 feet of a dwelling and unlicensed possession of a firearm. —Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026

The third proposal would establish and enforce occupancy limits requiring all tenants to be listed on leases and license applications and prohibit unlicensed short term subletting in smaller residential units. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026

The drunken gunman, the whistleblower said, came out of an unlicensed after-hours bar near Morris Ave. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unlicensed

• licenced
• licensed

Medical Definition

unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed

variants or chiefly British unlicenced

-ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)st

: not licensed

especially, of a drug : not approved for use by the appropriate regulating authority (as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States)