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
China has an export control list of around 1,100 dual-use items and technologies and manufacturers need to secure a license to be able to ship them overseas, wherever the end user may be. Reuters, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026 Bardash resumed operations on a new license in 2008. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Vantage Point Global has one of Costa Rica’s first farms licensed for exporting it. Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026 The lawsuit alleges that DSHS had licensed Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp at the edge of the Guadalupe River, despite the camp not having an evacuation plan as required by the state and camp safety rules. Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • During that period, food manufacturers asked the FDA’s permission to introduce a new substance only 10 times, according to the analysis.
    Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Exceptions were carved out for students with health needs, emergencies or teacher permission for educational reasons.
    Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Mugler said schools typically focus on getting all the academic and financial pieces in place for accreditation before focusing on athletics.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Simmons College of Kentucky recognized its first medical science graduates, its teaching program accreditation and a federal grant.
    Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The mayor cautioned that military action taken without congressional authorization sets a dangerous precedent and urged efforts to restore stability through diplomacy rather than further violence.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
  • If the attacks are not concluded in 60 days, the administration will have to go back to Congress and say the operation is complete, or work with Congress for an authorization to use force or a formal declaration of war.
    Javed Ali, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The transition, even under the best of circumstances, was going to be complicated, given the relatively short eight-month timeline to switch over a million retail fiber customers and 4 million enabled fiber locations in 11 states.
    Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
  • This flexibility is intended to enable more advanced maneuvering and mission profiles than traditional hypersonic boost-glide and cruise missile systems.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • This would allow social media companies to collect children’s data without parental consent—but solely for age verification purposes.
    Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Lawmakers are aiming to block further military action without authorization under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which Congress passed in response to the Vietnam War as a check on the president's power to enter armed conflict without consent from the legislative branch.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The paper, citing no sources, speculated that Tuttle would be fired, two years into her five-year mandate as Berlinale director.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 26 Feb. 2026
  • If the city requires removal of a billboard, state law mandates that the owner be compensated.
    Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • On a five-level scale that tops out at G5 (severe), G1 is the weaker of the geomagnetic storms but can still produce vivid auroras at high latitudes if the conditions are right.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 23 Feb. 2026
  • In trying to determine the impact of coastal winter storms, forecasters consider how close the storm will come to a benchmark about 80 miles southeast of Nantucket, at 40 degrees north latitude and 70 degrees west longitude.
    Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The subchapter, adopted by the state legislature in 1999, authorizes Hood County to regulate development in specific unincorporated areas to protect the Lake Granbury and Brazos River watershed.
    Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Department of Justice regulators have sent inquiries to the three companies, according to one senior executive who was not authorized to speak publicly.
    Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.

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