permission

noun

per·​mis·​sion pər-ˈmi-shən 

1

: the act of permitting

2

: formal consent : authorization

Synonyms of permission

• consent
• authorization
• granting
• permit
• license

Examples of permission in a Sentence

They got permission from the city to build an apartment complex.

The teacher gave me her permission to go home early.

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1962 film stars Nakadai as a lone samurai asking a local lord for permission to commit harakiri, a form of ritual suicide. —NPR, 12 Nov. 2025

In fact, the club tried to seek permission to hire him ahead of the 2017 season for a different role. —Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

Clear opt-in permissions, local processing when possible, and human-readable policies set expectations that may reduce surprises after a device update or app change. —William Jones, jsonline.com, 11 Nov. 2025

Without creating an obligation for Poland, Romania, and others to engage targets over Ukraine, such permission would set the stage for deconflicting European aircraft with Ukrainian air defenses. —Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin permission-, permissio, from permittere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for permission

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

Kids Definition

permission

noun

per·​mis·​sion pər-ˈmish-ən 

1

: the act of permitting

2

: the consent of a person in authority

has permission to leave