license 1 of 2

variants or licence

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

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
Casey Means does not have an active medical license, and appears to lack a background in public health, which won’t necessarily preclude the Senate from confirming her as Surgeon General. Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 May 2025 In December 2024, Amazon obtained 217,000 square feet of office space through a license agreement provided by WeWork for offices at 401 San Antonio Rd. George Avalos, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
Verb
Trailing 12-month library revenue was $956 million, up 8% year-on-year and notched $340 million for the quarter on licensing sales of The Rookie to Disney+ and The Chosen to Amazon Prime. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 22 May 2025 Athletic department logos of seemingly every college in the U.S. are widely licensed for apparel and other goods. Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • Shadow on projects that excite you (with your manager’s permission).
    Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • Before they could be disposed of, Lodge took the remains without the knowledge or permission of Harvard, the donor of the cadavers or the donor's family, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
    Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Noun
  • The delegations, escorted around town and guarded by scores of Swiss police, met for at least a dozen hours on both days of the weekend at a sunbaked 18th-century villa that serves as the official residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 May 2025
  • The location of the talks in Geneva was not made public, but witnesses saw both delegations returning after a lunch break to the gated U.N. ambassador's villa, which has a private park overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Noun
  • The two left the Lewisville Juvenile Treatment Center without authorization around 2:45 p.m.
    Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 19 May 2025
  • That's true in Minnesota, where the proposal to strip the state's health insurance coverage for adults in the country without authorization emerged as part of a compromise budget framework.
    Laura Fitzgerald, NPR, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • These portable devices need a SIM or eSIM and enable you to connect multiple gadgets via Wi-Fi.
    Simon Hill, Wired News, 23 May 2025
  • The Golden Power legislation enables the Italian government to intercede or set conditions on foreign and domestic corporate takeovers in key sectors, including banking.
    Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • The settlement elicited a crisp rebuke from Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw, a member of the commission’s Democratic minority.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
  • The commission’s Wildlife Conservation Committee already passed it once in January, but when their recommendation came before the full commission, members sent it back amid an uproar from farmers, ranchers and rural politicians, who said they were blindsided by it.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Dylan, a baker’s apprentice, wants to marry her; their journey on his moped is one of the film’s loveliest sequences, an image of freedom and happiness that suggests such a life might be within reach.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2025
  • By the State of the People Power Tour that is aiming to ignite a grassroots movement to lift up voices and advance freedom and justices.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • If time permits, disconnect utilities and appliances.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2025
  • No cameras were permitted inside the courthouse, though, meaning the photographs taken outside serve a more significant role than usual in controlling the public narrative.
    Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • After a handful of games on the junior varsity team to begin his career, Lewis earned a promotion to the varsity team as a freshman, hitting .333 while primarily at third base.
    Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
  • Founded in 2003, ADI supports the growth and success of small-scale distillers through education, advocacy, networking, and promotion of best practices in the industry.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

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