commission

[kuh-mish-uh n]

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noun

the act of committing or entrusting a person, group, etc., with supervisory power or authority.

an authoritative order, charge, or direction.

authority granted for a particular action or function.

a document granting such authority.

a document conferring authority issued by the president of the U.S. to officers in the Army, Navy, and other military services, and by state governments to justices of the peace and others.

the power thus granted.

the position or rank of an officer in any of the armed forces.

a group of persons authoritatively charged with particular functions: a parks commission.

the condition of being placed under special authoritative responsibility or charge.

a task or matter committed to one's charge; official assignment: The architect received a commission to design an office building.

the act of committing or perpetrating a crime, error, etc.: The commission of a misdemeanor is punishable by law.

something that is committed: He was held accountable for his evil commissions.

authority to act as agent for another or others in commercial transactions.

a sum or percentage of what has been paid that is allowed to agents, sales representatives, etc., for their services: In addition to her salary, she will get a 20 percent commission for each sale she makes.

verb (used with object)

to give a commission to: to commission a new graduate of a military academy with the rank of lieutenant.

to authorize; send on a mission: I've been commissioned by my friend overseas to find him a cheap apartment in New York.

to give the order that places a warship, military command, etc., in a state of complete readiness for active duty.

to give a commission or order for: The owners commissioned a painting for the building's lobby.

Idioms

in commission,

in service.
in operating order: A great deal of work will be necessary to put this car in commission again.
Also into commission.Navy.(of a ship) manned and in condition for or ordered to active service.

on commission, paid entirely or partially with commissions from sales one has made or for work one has done: The salespeople who are on commission earn 6 percent of the total amount they sell.

out of commission,

not in service: Telephone lines were out of commission for several days after the storm.
not in operating order: Sorry, but I can't bake cupcakes for you while the stove is out of commission.

Origin of commission

1300–50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin commissiōn- (stem of commissiō) a committing. See com-, mission, commit

Related formscom·mis·sion·a·ble, adjectivecom·mis·sion·al, adjectivecom·mis·sive, adjectivecom·mis·sive·ly, adverbin·ter·com·mis·sion, nounre·com·mis·sion, noun, verb (used with object)sub·com·mis·sion, nounun·com·mis·sioned, adjective

Can be confusedcommission omission

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for out of commission

down, faulty, kaput, decommissioned

British Dictionary definitions for out of commission

commission

noun

a duty or task committed to a person or group to perform

authority to undertake or perform certain duties or functions

a document granting such authority

military

a document conferring a rank on an officer
the rank or authority thereby granted

a group of people charged with certain dutiesa commission of inquiry

a government agency or board empowered to exercise administrative, judicial, or legislative authoritySee also Royal Commission

the authority given to a person or organization to act as an agent to a principal in commercial transactions
the fee allotted to an agent for services rendered

the state of being charged with specific duties or responsibilities

the act of committing a sin, crime, etc

something, esp a sin, crime, etc, that is committed

good working condition or (esp of a ship) active service (esp in the phrases in or into commission, out of commission)

US the head of a department of municipal government

verb

(tr) to grant authority to; charge with a duty or task

(tr) military to confer a rank on or authorize an action by

(tr) to equip and test (a ship) for active service

to make or become operative or operablethe plant is due to commission next year

(tr) to place an order for (something)to commission a portrait

Derived Formscommissional or commissionary, adjective

Word Origin for commission

C14: from Old French, from Latin commissiō a bringing together, from committere to commit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for out of commission

commission

mid-14c., "authority entrusted to someone," from Latin commissionem (nominative commissio) "delegation of business," noun of action from past participle stem of committere (see commit). Meaning "body of persons charged with authority" is from late 15c.

commission

1660s, from commission (n.). Related: Commissioned; commissioning.

out of commission in Culture

commission

A fee paid to a broker or other financial agent for negotiating a sale. The fee is based on a percentage of the sale price.

Idioms and Phrases with out of commission

out of commission

Not in working order, unable to function. For example, The drawbridge is out of commission so we'll have to take the tunnel. This idiom originally referred to a ship that was laid up for repairs or held in reserve. Similarly, the antonym, in commission, referred to a ship armed and ready for action. The latter term is also used in more general contexts today, as in My car's back in commission now, so we can drive to the theater. [Late 1800s]

commission

see in commission; on commission; out of commission.