permit

¹ American  

[per-mit, pur-mit, per-mit] / pərˈmɪt, ˈpɜr mɪt, pərˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

permitted, permitting

1. to allow to do something.

   Permit me to explain.

   Antonyms:

   refuse, reject

2. to allow to be done or occur.

   The law does not permit the sale of such drugs.

3. to tolerate; agree to.

   a law permitting Roman Catholicism in England.

4. to afford opportunity for, or admit of.

   vents to permit the escape of gases.

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verb (used without object)

permitted, permitting

1. to grant permission; allow liberty to do something.

2. to afford opportunity or possibility.

   Write when time permits.

3. to allow or admit (usually followed byof ).

   statements that permit of no denial.

noun

1. an authoritative or official certificate of permission; license.

   a fishing permit.

   Synonyms:

   franchise

2. a written order granting special permission to do something.

3. permission.

permit ² American  

[pur-mit] / ˈpɜr mɪt /

noun

1. a pompano, Trachinotus falcatus, of the waters off the West Indies.

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permit British  

verb

1. (tr) to grant permission to do something

   you are permitted to smoke

2. (tr) to consent to or tolerate

   she will not permit him to come

3. to allow the possibility (of)

   the passage permits of two interpretations

   his work permits him to relax nowadays

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noun

1. an official certificate or document granting authorization; licence

2. 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

• permittee
  noun
• permitter
  noun
• unpermitting
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Fermi filed a Clean Air Permit Application for an additional 5 gigawatts of power with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality earlier this month.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Before work can begin, plans need to be approved by Lagos state’s Physical Planning Permit Agency.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2024

Roy and the other workers at his factory had been recruited through a program known as the Employment Permit System, which has become the country’s most important stopgap against the crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2023

Permit applications in Seattle are down 43% from a year ago for detached single-family homes and 15% for apartments and condos — a sign that Seattle’s housing supply could remain sparse in the coming years.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2023

“Prime Minister Macmillan. President Eisenhower. Permit me to address you with the following statement: A provocative act is known to have been committed recently with regard to the Soviet Union by the American Air Force.”

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• allowance
• charter
• concession
• consent
• go ahead
• grant
• license
• passport
• patent
• permission
• privilege
• visa
• warrant