license 1 of 2

variants or licence
Definition of licensenext

license

2 of 2

verb

variants also licence

Synonym Chooser

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, 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

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, 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

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of license
Noun
His driver’s license has been suspended, court documents show. Holly Yan, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, they’ve been approved for a liquor license. Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
If state licensing isn’t necessary and a private association is enough, then why have child care facilities at all that are licensed? Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 The event was created by Mischief Management, which licensed Barbie from Mattel, a Mattel spokesperson said. Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • On Monday, the deadline, Immigration and Customs Enforcement finally granted her permission to reenter.
    Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Warso got permission from the facility’s director for the demonstration, along with a reminder not to post flyers.
    Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • As the district seeks formal accreditation, Williams is proposing a quarterly status review led by the superintendent.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The British government responded in February by revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The Associated Press reported that Kenyan law allows hospitals and morgues to dispose of unclaimed bodies after 14 days with court authorization.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Another employee followed the agent’s incorrect advice and exposed a large amount of company data to employees without authorization as a result.
    Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • That vision of worldwide economic and cultural interdependence that enabled the proliferation of biennials in the ’90s has been steadily eroding amid the recent rise in nativism and far-right movements in the United States and Europe.
    Smooth Nzewi, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Shackelford accused Hernandez of corruption, and her own department of enabling and covering it up, in a detailed whistleblower complaint to DeSantis’ Chief Inspector General.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The measure, part of the City Council’s consent calendar, was passed unanimously March 2.
    Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Before infants were enrolled in the AL16 study, their parents or guardians had to sign consent forms disclosing, among other things, the risks that clinical trial subjects would face.
    David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In the claim, Nancy Lemus' attorneys alleged that Eklund and Osborn failed to follow departmental and legal mandates for handling explosives.
    Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • This law, presented in the name of anti-discrimination, threatens to do exactly that against private religious institutions that do not comply with state mandates or rules that would conflict with a private religious institution’s beliefs and views.
    Stephen Mitchell, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Together, these cosmic ingredients could keep auroras active tonight, offering skywatchers another chance to glimpse the colorful display dancing across higher-latitude skies.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • In northern latitudes, greenhouses are usually oriented east to west, with a clear exposure on the south side (that means no shade).
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • But because of exceptions authorized by federal officials, few immigrants had their DNA collected.
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Under the emergency order, the school must immediately cease operations and may not provide massage education services in Texas unless otherwise authorized.
    S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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