licence

American  

[lahy-suhns] / ˈlaɪ səns /

noun

1. Chiefly British. a variant of license.

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licence British  

/ ˈlaɪsəns /

noun

1. a certificate, tag, document, etc, giving official permission to do something

2. formal permission or exemption

3. liberty of action or thought; freedom

4. intentional disregard of or deviation from conventional rules to achieve a certain effect

   poetic licence

5. excessive freedom

6. licentiousness

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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

See Examples For:

licence

It obtained a full UK banking licence from regulators in March, lifting restrictions on it competing with established retail lenders in its home market.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Users must have a full or provisional driving licence, and they must not ride on the pavement.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The announcement comes as SpaceX's Starlink has yet to secure a licence in South Africa because of local ownership rules.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

The number of households paying the licence fee fell by about half a million last year.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

I made some sort of soothing reply, but with the licence of age she did not listen, hobbling away mumbling that it was her fault.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya