permission
Americannoun
-
permissions
plural
-
authorization granted to do something; formal consent.
to ask permission to leave the room.
-
the act of permitting.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of permission
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin permissiōn-, stem of permissiō “a yielding, giving leave,” from permiss(us) “given leave” (past participle of permittere “to let go through, give leave”; see permit 1) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you give someone approval to do something, you are giving them permission. Think of the permission slip your parents sign to let you go on a field trip––they are approving your going on the trip. Permission has the same Latin root word as permit. They both come from permittere, which means to allow to go or pass through. Permission can be given in writing, it can be given orally, or it can be assumed or unspoken––by passing the box of cookies around the room you're giving everyone tacit permission to help themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing permission
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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The Titan's Curse
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"The War of the Wall" by Toni Cade Bambara
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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:
His lawyer arranged an audio call with Kashani, who is jailed in Isfahan but in another prison, to recite religious marriage vows before he died, with their fathers both giving permission.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Tracy's family have given their permission to the BBC for her to share her story.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“STFD is really about giving myself permission to just do things that make me happy,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Muse’s ability to theoretically shop anywhere with user permission means retailers are out of time to start making decisions, Perry said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Cross-lots off the rez is called trespassing. Other people’s property requires provable permission and you better be able to present that proof at a moment’s notice.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Each Cisco agent pulls relevant context about an employee in real time through secure enterprise connectors based on existing user permissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
They also priced out those potential updates and secured the necessary planning permissions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“All required licenses, waivers and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America,” the memorandum reads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
The final mechanism will be agreed within 60 days of the final deal, and all licences, waivers and permissions will be granted by the US.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
"I'm sure you would, but the message involves permissions that I, not you, have the authority to give."
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
