license
Americannoun
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licenses
plural
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formal permission from a governmental or other constituted authority to do something, as to carry on some business or profession.
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a certificate, tag, plate, etc., giving proof of such permission; official permit.
a driver's license.
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permission to do or not to do something.
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intentional deviation from rule, convention, or fact, as for the sake of literary or artistic effect.
poetic license.
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exceptional freedom allowed in a special situation.
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excessive or undue freedom or liberty.
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the legal right to use a patent owned by another.
verb (used with object)
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licenses,
present (3rd person singular)
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licensed,
past participle, past
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licensing
present participle
verb
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to grant or give a licence for (something, such as the sale of alcohol)
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to give permission to or for
Usage
What does license mean? License means permission to do something, especially formal permission from a government or other authority. The word often refers to the proof of that permission, such as a card or certificate. A license can be required for many different kinds of activities, especially those that may be considered dangerous if a person does not have the proper training. The most common types of licenses are driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and licenses for businesses. Those who hold such licenses are said to be licensed. License can also be used as a verb, meaning “to grant permission” or “to give a license to.” In British English, it is commonly spelled licence. Example: I have permission to operate here, and if you doubt it you can even see my license.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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licensernoun
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licensornoun
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prelicensenoun
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de-licenseverb (used with object)
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relicenseverb (used with object)
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licensableadjective
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licenselessadjective
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nonlicensableadjective
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nonlicensedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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licensesimple
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licensessimple
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have licensedperfect
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has licensedperfect
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am licensingprogressive
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are licensingprogressive
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is licensingprogressive
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have been licensingperfect progressive
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has been licensingperfect progressive
Past
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licensedsimple
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had licensedperfect
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was licensingprogressive
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were licensingprogressive
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had been licensingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of license
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English licence, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin licentia “authorization,” Latin: “freedom,” equivalent to licent- (stem of licēns, present participle of licēre “to be allowed”) + -ia noun suffix; see -ia, -ence
Explanation
What does 007's license to kill have to do with that driver's license you can't wait to acquire? Both are forms of permissions conferred officially. If you’re in England, the noun ends in “c,” as in driver’s licence. When you have a license, you have official permission to do something, like drive a car. Bars need a liquor license to serve alcohol. Doctors need a medical license to practice medicine. You can also say people have license to do something, which means they're free to do it, like if you give yourself poetic license to misspell your own name. In Britain, license is only a verb, meaning "allow," and the noun form is spelled with two cs: licence.
Vocabulary lists containing license
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Vocabulary from the speech
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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 stolen data did not include Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, financial account information, credit or debit card information or account passwords.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," she told Newsweek, without clarifying whether she held a US law license.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Disney will serve as a stalking horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license of some of Character’s intellectual property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Did the department of motor vehicles take her license?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Except her license has her real name, doesn’t it?
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Verizon and AT&T may also be interested in some of those licenses, which altogether are valued at $11.3 billion, according to Petti.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Residency can affect taxes, voting, driver’s licenses, insurance and other matters, and the rules in every state are different.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is bidding for licenses and could take on giants such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Norway's Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on licenses for projects in the North Sea.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Cancer Perks are the little things cancer kids get that regular kids don’t: basketballs signed by sports heroes, free passes on late homework, unearned driver’s licenses, etc.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Asked by reporters Tuesday where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied: "When I moved to China," without identifying any jurisdiction where she was licensed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Disclosures: S.C. holds patents or pending patents on PD-L2 at Mayo Clinic and Spanish National Cancer Research Center, some of which have been licensed to Rejuveron Senescence Therapeutics.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The purchase gave Musk’s company a platform for beaming data to cellphones from space using its own reserved frequencies rather than through airwaves licensed from partner T-Mobile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
At the end of June 2026, 5.8% of all licensed cars on UK roads were zero-emission vehicles, the data shows.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Pearl nodded and refrained from reminding her that technically, the temporary permit allowed her to drive only with a licensed adult over twenty-one.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Bit by bit, Disney is continuing to shape itself into something more like its former nemesis, Netflix, including by diving more into the vertical-video and A.I. future while licensing visual podcasts as TV shows.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
City of Doncaster Council, which is responsible for licensing the park, is carrying out a health and safety investigation and said it would share the outcome with the coroner, the inquest was told.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Outside the United States, access to the drug will be handled through a licensing agreement between Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Recordati, a major pharmaceutical company headquartered in Italy.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Spotify is keeping its grip on ad sales and licensing rights for “The Joe Rogan Experience,” renewing its contract with the star podcaster for multiple years, Anne Steele reports for The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
He remembers how it was studying for his licensing exam, which he failed twice before passing.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
