license
Americannoun
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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)
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:
I can’t even forward his mail to my address without his signature and driver’s license.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The source said, however, the analysis could also incorporate additional records, such as driver’s license signatures.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
AstraZeneca entered into an exclusive global license agreement with China’s Dizal Pharmaceutical for the lung cancer treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Inspector General Matthew Barragan recommended in the audit that the department suspend the deployment of any new automatic license plate readers, known as ALPRs, and the execution of new contracts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Then my mom pulls out my dad’s old driver’s license.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
The source also claimed that China collected private U.S. user data from millions of TikTok accounts—including names and addresses—which could be used to create fake driver’s licenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Berzunza is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed this month against the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, which reviews export licenses for items protected under cultural heritage statutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Any change to the events licenses require approval from Reading Borough Council and, if granted, would come into effect from 2027.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” Carr said in a post on X in March.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
“My preserve is a secret. I have all the necessary licenses, but if my neighbors complained, those could be revoked. You must not tell a soul, not even your parents.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
“The positive part of AI is that it’s pushing a lot of people to call our helpline directly”—one staffed by licensed human therapists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The University of Michigan has patented the compound and licensed it to Diapin Therapeutics.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Patriots are complicated; as the New York Times has reported, Japan and Germany took years to actually make any after getting licensed.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
In late May, Zelensky confirmed Ukraine had formally asked the US to authorise licensed production of Patriots.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“We—I—we understood that the program was licensed by...It was an Oblation Board matter, but we were told it had the approval of the Consistorial Court of Discipline. We would never have taken part otherwise. Never!”
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Netflix inked licensing deals in July with multiple media publishers for short-form video content as it seeks to compete with TikTok and YouTube.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
The government says it will also relax licensing restrictions for music events, and offer longer contracts to music festivals, to make their future more secure from year to year.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Another concern is the licensing of basic cable TV channels, including CNN and HGTV, to pay-TV providers such as Charter’s Spectrum, DirecTV and Google’s YouTube TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Sony has pulled similar moves before: in 2023, the company deleted over 1,000 seasons of Discovery TV shows customers had purchased due to content licensing arrangements.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
It was Steve Spiegel, then president of Music Theatre International, the leading licensing agent for Broadway productions, who made the decision on what high school would be asked to pilot the play.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
