commission

American  

[kuh-mish-uhn] / kəˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

• commissions
  plural

1. the act of committing or entrusting a person, group, etc., with supervisory power or authority.

2. an authoritative order, charge, or direction.

3. authority granted for a particular action or function.

4. a document granting such authority.

5. a document conferring authority issued by the president of the U.S. to officers in the Army, Navy, and other military services, and by state governments to justices of the peace and others.

6. the power thus granted.

7. the position or rank of an officer in any of the armed forces.

8. a group of persons authoritatively charged with particular functions.

   a parks commission.

9. the condition of being placed under special authoritative responsibility or charge.

10. a task or matter committed to one's charge; official assignment.

    The architect received a commission to design an office building.

11. the act of committing or perpetrating a crime, error, etc..

    The commission of a misdemeanor is punishable by law.

12. something that is committed.

    He was held accountable for his evil commissions.

13. authority to act as agent for another or others in commercial transactions.

14. a sum or percentage of what has been paid that is allowed to agents, sales representatives, etc., for their services.

    In addition to her salary, she will get a 20 percent commission for each sale she makes.

---

verb (used with object)

• commissions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• commissioned,
  past participle,  past
• commissioning
  present participle

1. to give a commission to.

   to commission a new graduate of a military academy with the rank of lieutenant.

2. to authorize; send on a mission.

   I've been commissioned by my friend overseas to find him a cheap apartment in New York.

3. to give the order that places a warship, military command, etc., in a state of complete readiness for active duty.

4. to give a commission or order for.

   The owners commissioned a painting for the building's lobby.

idioms

1. in commission,

   1. in service.

   2. in operating order.

      A great deal of work will be necessary to put this car in commission again.

   3. Navy. Also into commission. (of a ship) manned and in condition for or ordered to active service.

2. out of commission,

   1. not in service.

      Telephone lines were out of commission for several days after the storm.

   2. not in operating order.

      Sorry, but I can't bake cupcakes for you while the stove is out of commission.

3. on commission, paid entirely or partially with commissions from sales one has made or for work one has done.

   The salespeople who are on commission earn 6 percent of the total amount they sell.

commission British  

/ kəˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. a duty or task committed to a person or group to perform

2. authority to undertake or perform certain duties or functions

3. a document granting such authority

4. military

   1. a document conferring a rank on an officer

   2. the rank or authority thereby granted

5. a group of people charged with certain duties

   a commission of inquiry

6. a government agency or board empowered to exercise administrative, judicial, or legislative authority See also Royal Commission

7. 1. the authority given to a person or organization to act as an agent to a principal in commercial transactions

   2. the fee allotted to an agent for services rendered

8. the state of being charged with specific duties or responsibilities

9. the act of committing a sin, crime, etc

10. something, esp a sin, crime, etc, that is committed

11. good working condition or (esp of a ship) active service (esp in the phrases in or into commission, out of commission )

12. the head of a department of municipal government

---

verb

1. (tr) to grant authority to; charge with a duty or task

2. (tr) military to confer a rank on or authorize an action by

3. (tr) to equip and test (a ship) for active service

4. to make or become operative or operable

   the plant is due to commission next year

5. (tr) to place an order for (something)

   to commission a portrait

commission Cultural  

1. A fee paid to a broker or other financial agent for negotiating a sale. The fee is based on a percentage of the sale price.

---

commission More Idioms  

1. see in commission; on commission; out of commission.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercommission
  noun
• recommission
  noun
• subcommission
  noun
• commissionable
  adjective
• commissional
  adjective
• commissive
  adjective
• uncommissioned
  adjective
• commissively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commissions
  plural

Participles

• commissioning
  present
• commissioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• commission
  simple
• commissions
  simple
• have commissioned
  perfect
• has commissioned
  perfect
• am commissioning
  progressive
• are commissioning
  progressive
• is commissioning
  progressive
• have been commissioning
  perfect progressive
• has been commissioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• commissioned
  simple
• had commissioned
  perfect
• was commissioning
  progressive
• were commissioning
  progressive
• had been commissioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will commission
  simple
• will have commissioned
  perfect
• will be commissioning
  progressive
• will have been commissioning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of commission

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin commissiōn-, stem of commissiō “commencement”; equivalent to com- + mission

Explanation

The word commission has several very different meanings, but in its most basic meaning, commission is the act of passing a responsibility to someone else. If you receive a government commission, that means you have been assigned a task by the government. Another common meaning of commission is the amount of money an employee earns when they sell something: In addition to his salary, he gets a 1% commission on each sale. A commission is also an order for someone to do something and get paid: The artist received a commission for a new painting to hang in the building lobby. And a commission is a high-ranking position in the armed forces, or a special committee that controls or investigates something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commission commissions commissioned commissioning

The founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, described the decision as "wrong" and "painful for all of us", demanding an independent commission to investigate.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

If confirmed that the test results were those of Maradona's father, however, it could discredit the medical commission set up to evaluate the circumstances of Maradona's death, boosting the defence.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Carr has called the lawsuit “meritless” and said the commission is merely following facts and law.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

In a new enforcement bulletin to be released Wednesday, the commission will tell companies that they must disclose when they use highly detailed information about individuals to personalize a price offer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The repairs took months, however, and with their home out of commission, everybody slept in tents.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Earlier this month, the New York Times profiled the Modern Silent Shorts festival, which has annually showcased short films it commissions from select filmmakers since 2024.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

And that’s even before deducting the extra costs related specifically to real estate like property taxes, condo fees, maintenance, insurance, sales commissions and so on.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Southeast Asia's biggest economy has long battled corruption in its public and private sectors despite strengthening anti-graft laws, creating special investigative commissions and arresting several high profile people.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Luxury travel advisers may make commissions from hotels when booking clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Burnham’s own firm saw the flow of new commissions come to a halt.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

The painting was still more dangerous, she argues, because of its status: It was part of a series commissioned by Spain’s King Philip II, who identified with Zeus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

A Nielsen Sports study commissioned by the IPC found that 73% of people thought the Paris Paralympic Games positively changed their attitudes toward people with disabilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

While NHS Blood and Transplant manages organ donations and supports transplant centres, services are commissioned and paid for by NHS England.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

For the last 19 years, student-loan lender Sallie Mae has commissioned a study on how families marshal all the economic forces at their disposal to pay for college.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

The other three men did not, but she was selected as the second backup and, like Irina, commissioned as a Soviet cosmonaut.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

L.A. arts patrons Betty Freeman and Richard Colburn provided important support for Salzburg during their lifetimes that included commissioning new work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

And after the election then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer effectively kicked the issue into the long grass by commissioning Louise Casey to investigate social care reform and report back in 2028.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

That assumes successful commissioning and ramp-up at the Edna May processing plant, and the Lake Johnston plant, which has a capacity of 3.2 million tons of ore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The collaboration alternates between observing runs that collect scientific data and periods dedicated to commissioning and upgrading the detectors.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

Because from here, we can look down through the last century and see the fallout of a single theory: the Rich American commissioning a Consummate Professional to steal a Great Painting.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• agency
• authority
• delegation
• office