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:
The officers shared the shocking recording this week in hopes of identifying the driver, whose license plate cannot be discerned in the clip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The driver charged with homicide, Rajinder Kumar, is an undocumented Indian immigrant who obtained a truck driver's license in California.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
It also accused Apple of using its inventions "without license or authority".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Ankara also canceled the license of one of Iran’s largest private lenders, Bank Mellat, an institution that serves as a conduit for trade transactions between Iran and Turkey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
By the time they made it all the way to Arizona, their car’s license plate and grill were splattered with bug guts and mangled wings.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
If they fall foul of the required standards, the regulator would have the power to take their licenses away, the government added.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Existing pub owners worry that loosening the regime would wipe out the large sums of money they invested to obtain their licenses in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Nvidia, however, has said Chinese restrictions have prevented it from selling all the chips covered by those licenses.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
CBS owns more than two dozen TV stations with FCC licenses, including KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9 in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
His driver’s license may be automatically suspended, and he may no longer qualify for certain employment and professional licenses.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The licensed drug works much like the Mounjaro medication from rival Eli Lilly’s does.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Following the burglary, Paul has joined forces with Compare the Market, which commissioned a licensed private investigator to examine the publicly available digital footprints of nine volunteers.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The latest example came earlier this month, when Suno, an AI music company valued at $5.4 billion, released its first models built with licensed music from Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Last summer, it paid $112 million for a licensed exchange that they converted into Polymarket US.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
He is preparing to take his registration exam, the two-day ordeal that will enable him to become a licensed architect, to stamp drawings and design things under his own name.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
For the minister behind the Department for Infrastructure reforms, Sinn Féin's Liz Kimmins, graduated driver licensing is about reducing the risks faced by those getting behind the wheel for the first time.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
After entrepreneur Brian Mariotti bought Funko in 2005, the business began licensing more characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Momenta’s net loss narrowed sharply in 1H, while its high gross margin and asset-light software licensing model support its earnings profile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Just days after a capital-markets day left investors wondering what’s next for Novo Nordisk, the Danish drug giant struck a licensing deal worth over $1 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Employers in a growing number of professions are barred by state licensing agencies from hiring people with a wide range of criminal convictions, even convictions unrelated to the job or license sought.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
