variants
or licence
1
as in permission
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
the company is seeking license to operate several more power plants in the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accreditation
the granting of power to perform various acts or duties
a restaurant owner has to get a license to serve food and drink
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in authorization
the right to act or move freely
military commanders on the ground must be granted considerable license, as wars cannot be micromanaged by people back in Washington
Synonyms & Similar Words
variants
also licence
as in to enable
to give official or legal power to
a state statute licenses county sheriffs to choose their own deputies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Wade also was unable to renew his driver’s license around this time, since the state required a current green card, the lawyer said.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
In the nineties, Sikiric licensed the compound to a Croatian company called Pliva, which sought a treatment for ulcerative colitis; the results were never released.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for license
Noun
Denver police used license-plate reader technology from neighboring Aurora to identify and arrest a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Wade also was unable to renew his driver’s license around this time, since the state required a current green card, the lawyer said.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
But investigators say those already licensed are often ripe for fraud.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
In the nineties, Sikiric licensed the compound to a Croatian company called Pliva, which sought a treatment for ulcerative colitis; the results were never released.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
-
To qualify for the legal permission to remain in the country, these immigrants must pass background checks and renew their application every two years.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Associated Press has been granted permission by the Iranian government to send an additional team into the country for a brief reporting trip.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The district also continues to fight for full accreditation while facing an ongoing state audit.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The accreditation agency’s board will still have to vote on whether to remove the sanctions, but the recommendation from the inspectors is a positive step, Dockery said in his letter.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The work stoppage was overwhelmingly approved by the rank-and-file via a strike authorization vote weeks before the contract was up.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Ring faced further scrutiny when the Federal Trade Commission investigated the company in 2023 after employees illegally surveilled customers and accessed footage without authorization.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The first would allow courts in protection from abuse matters and criminal proceedings to order abusers to wear a GPS monitoring device that enables survivors to track their location in real time, even with alerts to law enforcement.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
On other podcast apps, creators can enable access to their shows via a private RSS link.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And in the case of Henrietta Lacks, who was African American, her cells were taken without consent and used in ground-breaking research without her family’s knowledge.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with a parent or guardian’s consent.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 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
-
War-time decision makers must be ready to relax their grip on the economy, give other decisionmakers latitude to move freely, and let the market process operate.—
Bruce Yandle,
Twin Cities,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Interestingly, the planet's greatest altitude at sunset will also be occurring at this time, when the ecliptic (the apparent path of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year) becomes nearly vertical with respect to the western horizon for observers in northern latitudes.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the truck discovery, a grand jury authorized more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants, allowing the task force to dig in to Heuermann’s life.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told the AP that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.—
Qassim Abdul-Zahra,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
