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:
At the building’s entrance, a massive banner celebrates the plant’s recently renewed federal operating license, proclaiming “You Made This Possible” above a photograph of smiling staffers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
But the plant’s federal license, which was renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in April, technically gives it permission to power on until 2045, when it would be 60 years old.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Britain’s BP and the United Arab Emirates’ XRG have been awarded an exploration and production license for a Venezuelan offshore gas development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The American Civil Liberties Union, which has long criticized Flock and other automatic license plate-readers, said Thursday that it wasn’t confident the new security measures would do enough to prevent misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The perfect candidate showed up for the job, a guy who has a legitimate plumber’s license, and Dad didn’t like his professional opinion?
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“Residency isn’t just where you buy a condo, it’s where you actually live: day counts, driver’s licenses, voter registration, where your doctor is,” Judge said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
During his time as interior minister, Anutin introduced a number of gun control laws, including a short-term ban on new gun licenses and import restrictions.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The licenses cover preliminary surveys and sampling, with future decisions on commercial exploitation needing further bureau approval.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Transport for London has granted private-hire vehicle licenses to a number of Wayve’s autonomous vehicles, the companies said Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Searcher’s licenses don’t matter anymore. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
As always, it may only be used by professionally licensed applicators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
"The members recommended Ervebo, the only licensed Ebola vaccine, be prioritised for inclusion in a randomised clinical trial in the context of the ongoing outbreak," a WHO statement said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
The borough of Westminster has more licensed venues than anywhere else in the UK with about 500 pubs, bars and wine bars, and roughly 1,750 cafes and restaurants.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Until 2025, he was licensed to work as an armed security guard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Violet didn’t know anything about the girl at first except her name, her age, and that she was very well thought of in the legally licensed beauty parlor.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
In the case of the FTC and FCC, we will have issues enforcing competitive rules and licensing for different broadcast stations.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Each of SPGI’s benchmark franchises is a high-margin, IP licensing business with a formidable competitive moat inside an oligopolistic market structure,” the Pershing Square letter observed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Standard licensing models between large AI companies and individual news organizations include guaranteed fees and are generally tied to broad access to content, rather than a pay-as-you-go model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The company announced a new AI deal last week with the digital music licensing company Merlin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Dr. Fanning was trying to help out by lining up jobs, but first Papi needed to pass his licensing exam.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
