permit
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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permits,
present (3rd person singular)
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permitted,
past participle, past
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permitting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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permits,
present (3rd person singular)
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permitted,
past participle, past
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permitting
present participle
-
to grant permission; allow liberty to do something.
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to afford opportunity or possibility.
Write when time permits.
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to allow or admit (usually followed byof ).
statements that permit of no denial.
noun
verb
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(tr) to grant permission to do something
you are permitted to smoke
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(tr) to consent to or tolerate
she will not permit him to come
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to allow the possibility (of)
the passage permits of two interpretations
his work permits him to relax nowadays
noun
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an official certificate or document granting authorization; licence
-
permission, esp written permission
Usage
What are other ways to say permit?
To permit is to allow someone to do something. How is permit different from allow and let? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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permitsimple
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permitssimple
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have permittedperfect
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has permittedperfect
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am permittingprogressive
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are permittingprogressive
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is permittingprogressive
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have been permittingperfect progressive
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has been permittingperfect progressive
Past
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permittedsimple
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had permittedperfect
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was permittingprogressive
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were permittingprogressive
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had been permittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of permit1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin permittere “to let go through, give leave,” equivalent to per- per- + mittere “to let or make (someone) go”; see admit, commit, etc.
Origin of permit2
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; apparently by folk etymology from Spanish palometa palometa
Explanation
Permit means to allow. When you permit your brother to come into your room, you let him in. (You can always kick him back out if he messes with your stuff.) To permit means to let someone do something. It comes from the Latin permittere which means "give up, allow to pass through." You might feel like you "gave up" when you permitted your brother to enter your room. As a noun, a permit is a document that lets you do something — like when you get a driver's permit to learn to drive, or a gun permit to carry a gun, or even a construction permit to build an addition to your house.
Vocabulary lists containing permit
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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This Week in Words: January 20 - 26, 2018
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The values that allow stars to manufacture heavy elements and those that permit liquids to support cellular life may represent separate requirements.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
ZedPay’s Iranian CEO, Mehdi Rezazadeh, who had a Turkish work permit, held a personal Binance account, as did 10 of his employees and associates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
EET Fuels told the BBC in a statement: "Selectively chosen, historical permit exceedances from prior years in no way represent the current operational status, improving environmental performance, or governance of the refinery today."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The spokesperson did not comment on whether this specific proposal violated city rules but noted that documented proposals require a professional photography permit and said that proposals that include set-ups and structures are not allowed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
"Do you have a permit?" asked Officer Ken.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
The UAE is a big hub for data-center investment, but projects there have their own challenges, including reliable power, cooling, water availability, connectivity, building permits and the economics of the data center in question.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
In some cases, years of litigation have led to permits for oil, gas and coal projects being overturned, including in the UK.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The senior labor relations major supports a moratorium on student-event permits, proposed due to what the mayor called the school’s “appalling response” to the allegations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The agency said it would not issue permits for drone operations and warned that legal action would be taken against anyone flying drones in restricted areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
During the summer Bernabe had no special early-hour chores to do: he owned cattle, but they grazed on National Forest permits up in the hills; he also harbored a few ratty chickens in the backyard.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
In their submission to the court, the government said: "Libya was permitted to transfer the defendant to the United States under any method it chose."
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Israeli aviation regulations also state that pilots who are citizens of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel, like Oman, are not permitted to operate flights to the country.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
But why is white the only color she is permitted to see?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Used as an estimation of casualties — just put a number in front, “20 NAZA”— it suggests a battle calculation that has permitted the detachment of moral consquences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The lighting itself took on the air of a Midnight Dinner, with no questions permitted as to the ingredients or menu.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Oracle is trying to delay making full lease payments on a huge data-center facility in New Mexico amid power and permitting issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
York Minster charges £20 for general admission tickets and under-18s can accompany paying adults for free, while St Paul's Cathedral in London charges a £26 fee for tourist visits, while permitting service attendees free entry.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Miracle of miracles, a draft bipartisan permitting bill emerged in the Senate last week that—dare to hope—could pass in the lame duck session.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Another thing about permitting reform: No one has ever discovered a way to make a joke involving the words permitting reform, and we’re not about to try.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Chapter 4 sketches how food production—that is, the growing of food by agriculture or herding, instead of the hunting and gathering of wild foods—ultimately led to the immediate factors permitting Pizarro’s triumph.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
