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
Its business license expired on June 7, 2024, according to Washington Department of Revenue records. James Powel, USA Today, 13 June 2025 Following reports of the rare-earth license concession, global equity markets ticked higher, echoing relief seen after the Geneva truce. Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Verb
Last year, Microsoft paid $650 million to hire Inflection boss Mustafa Suleyman and his top lieutenants, and to license the startup’s technology. Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 13 June 2025 Ruoff Mortgage, which is licensed to originate loans in 45 states, has a multiyear partnership with NASCAR. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • That information is anonymized, and participants have to give permission for their data to be included at all.
    Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2025
  • Prior authorization varies by plan but often requires patients or their providers to get permission (also called precertification, preauthorization, or preapproval) before filling prescriptions, scheduling imaging, surgery, or an inpatient hospital stay, among other expenses.
    Lauren Sausser, Miami Herald, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • Notably, the United States has not ratified the treaty, and the country didn’t send a formal delegation to the conference, per the AP.
    Lillian Ali, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025
  • In the late nineties, a delegation of Sahtu Dene travelled to Hiroshima to acknowledge their role in that destruction, despite their own ordeals with cancer and poverty.
    E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • Frightened for her daughter’s life, Paulina’s mother did not sign the authorization.
    Rebecca Grant June 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
  • At a press conference, Johnson said the War Powers Act of 1973, which limits presidential military action without congressional authorization, is unconstitutional.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • And this summer, the calculations have been further complicated by FIFA allowing an additional, earlier short summer window to enable clubs competing in the upcoming Club World Cup to bolster their squads before the tournament.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • Info-tainment and digital implementation that could enable customers to learn more about the brand are planned for the Sease store expected to open in Abu Dhabi in February 2026.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • In a letter to the commission, one resident urged the planning officials to focus on the site’s surrounding streets.
    Emilie Takahashi, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
  • Republican senators praised her leadership, especially her commitment to rolling back Biden-era regulations and guidance on gender-identity rights, which Lucas has argued overstepped the commission's authority.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Now 71, the numbers marching for his freedom have dwindled without the urgency of imminent execution dates.
    Dave Zirin, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
  • The freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution — freedom of speech, freedom from want and fear, freedom of worship, freedom to vote — are under attack.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • No one else in the courtroom was permitted to see the graphic videos.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • There’s still a lot to learn about Wuchang: Fallen Feathers - how far will upgrades and progression permit you to diversify your playstyle?
    Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • His new role solidifies his place in the ongoing integration between the two promotions.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
  • That might seem like a sign of an upcoming promotion.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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