licence
Americannoun
noun
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a certificate, tag, document, etc, giving official permission to do something
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formal permission or exemption
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liberty of action or thought; freedom
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intentional disregard of or deviation from conventional rules to achieve a certain effect
poetic licence
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excessive freedom
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licentiousness
Etymology
Origin of licence
C14: via Old French and Medieval Latin licentia permission, from Latin: freedom, from licet it is allowed
Explanation
A licence is a permit to do something. You need a licence to drive a car. If you spell it licence instead of license, then you’ll be driving on the left side of the road because the “c” ending is British. A licence, spelled with the “c,” is a noun — like that driver’s licence in your wallet that allows you to drive all over England. In British style, the word license (with an “s”) is only a verb and licence is a noun. So if you can put a/an/or the in front of it, it’s a licence. James Bond had a Licence to Kill in the movie of the same name. Don’t ask to see it!
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.
The licence allows events for up to 125,000 people, with live music and dance performances permitted until 03:00.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Entertainment company Secret Cinema, which produces immersive cinema experiences, has applied for a premises licence for its first long-term venue on the Greenwich Peninsula in south-east London.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The licence would allow the new location to remain open and sell alcohol until 23:30 BST on weekdays and midnight at weekends.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Earlier this year, the six young birds were collected under a NatureScot licence from the wild in Scotland and brought to Exmoor.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Too many farmers had assumed, without due enquiry, that on such a farm a spirit of licence and indiscipline would prevail.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
