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
China also required licenses to export rare earth manufacturing technologies out of the country. Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025 Italy’s Oniro Group, which owns the licenses to produce Roberto Cavalli Home Interiors, Gianfranco Ferré Home and Etro Home Interiors, teamed up for the development of Jacob & Co. Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Stout, the family nurse practitioner in Trenton, is also licensed to practice in Iowa. Meg Cunningham, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025 Studios profit fell 22% on higher costs associated with content licensing sales and higher marketing and promotion expenses for recent and upcoming theatrical film releases. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • Used with the permission of the publisher, Simon & Schuster.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Revoke any unnecessary permissions immediately.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But the mandates also help colleges shovel heaps of bureaucratic muck—validating data for accreditation, carrying out enrollment, flagging troubled students, aggregating metrics of all kinds.
    Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The festival has stoked debate with its rejection of accreditation requests from Israel’s DocAviv Festival, CoPro – The Israeli Content Marketing Foundation and state broadcaster Kan for its upcoming edition, running from November 13 to 23, in a move first reported by Variety on Monday.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Lawmakers from both major political parties have expressed concerns about Trump ordering the military actions without receiving authorization from Congress or providing many details.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Employees represented by United Auto Workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant workers will hold a strike authorization vote next week, following the company’s final offer last month.
    Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rather than rob the story of its teeth, this enabled me to explore the pain, loneliness and personal demons of my characters with sympathy rather than stinging bite.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Advertisement On the Democratic side, Virginia’s legislature has begun the complicated process of working to amend the state constitution to enable redistricting.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The measure passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week, after clearing the House in a voice vote in March (both actions signal broad support for the policy).
    Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Others argue that the legal definition of consent leaves too much room for interpretation of what behaviors constitute consent or its withdrawal.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Fed's policymakers are weighing their dual mandates of keeping prices stable and maximizing employment after months of weaker-than-expected jobs reports.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Except that the European Parliament decided that this mandate was a no-go.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That gap gives congregations wide latitude to hire and restore youth pastors, worship leaders and other associate ministers — including those with histories of misconduct.
    Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The forecast suggests that the impact of high-speed solar wind and CME could produce G1 (minor) or possibly G2 (moderate) level storms, more than sufficient to produce visible auroras at higher latitudes.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The forthcoming projects are authorized by Shakur’s daughter, Kakuya Shakur, and produced and co-directed by the sister-brother filmmaking team through their banner, Indigo Films.
    Angelique Jackson, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Owner Ray Davis authorized massive contracts to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in hopes of making the club competitive, but then held the reins tight after the team won the World Series in 2023.
    Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

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