permit
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
permits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
permitted,
past participle, past
-
permitting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
permits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
permitted,
past participle, past
-
permitting
present participle
-
to grant permission; allow liberty to do something.
-
to afford opportunity or possibility.
Write when time permits.
-
to allow or admit (usually followed byof ).
statements that permit of no denial.
noun
verb
-
(tr) to grant permission to do something
you are permitted to smoke
-
(tr) to consent to or tolerate
she will not permit him to come
-
to allow the possibility (of)
the passage permits of two interpretations
his work permits him to relax nowadays
noun
-
an official certificate or document granting authorization; licence
-
permission, esp written permission
Usage
What are other ways to say permit?
To permit is to allow someone to do something. How is permit different from allow and let? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
permitsimple
-
permitssimple
-
have permittedperfect
-
has permittedperfect
-
am permittingprogressive
-
are permittingprogressive
-
is permittingprogressive
-
have been permittingperfect progressive
-
has been permittingperfect progressive
Past
-
permittedsimple
-
had permittedperfect
-
was permittingprogressive
-
were permittingprogressive
-
had been permittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of permit1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin permittere “to let go through, give leave,” equivalent to per- per- + mittere “to let or make (someone) go”; see admit, commit, etc.
Origin of permit2
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; apparently by folk etymology from Spanish palometa palometa
Explanation
Permit means to allow. When you permit your brother to come into your room, you let him in. (You can always kick him back out if he messes with your stuff.) To permit means to let someone do something. It comes from the Latin permittere which means "give up, allow to pass through." You might feel like you "gave up" when you permitted your brother to enter your room. As a noun, a permit is a document that lets you do something — like when you get a driver's permit to learn to drive, or a gun permit to carry a gun, or even a construction permit to build an addition to your house.
Vocabulary lists containing permit
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: January 20 - 26, 2018
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Anyone wishing to buy a gun must first apply for a purchase permit, then, once they have bought it, apply for a second possession permit.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Advocacy groups and experts say that by erecting turbines without a permit or any public consultation, SpaceXAI has disregarded existing legislation such as the Clean Air Act.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Individuals funded their accounts using an annual quota of $50,000 that authorities permit for transfer overseas for tourism or business travel, Chinese state media have reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The department will weigh in on the conditional use permit at a later date.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Somkit looked down at the border permit Pong held in his hand.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Lineage recently applied for building permits to replace the site, which Bass called “a slap in the face” to Boyle Heights families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
But the bill names loyalty programs both among the rewards it permits and among those it forbids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Activities are subject to specific permits, and Greenland Energy still hopes to obtain full approval to begin drilling soon in order to determine the quality of potential deposits.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Her relationship frequently crosses boundaries, but Maddie permits it because the attention makes her feel good and motivates her disorder.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
During the summer Bernabe had no special early-hour chores to do: he owned cattle, but they grazed on National Forest permits up in the hills; he also harbored a few ratty chickens in the backyard.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
The letter noted that Daniels’ contract permitted LSU to use his name, image and likeness for only 180 days beyond his final game in college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Calls will only be permitted if they relate to a contract a person has already entered into or the company has obtained prior consent to be contacted for marketing.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
"OpenAI should not be permitted to use Apple's secrets to gain an unjust head start in its hardware ambitions," the iPhone-maker says.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
The licence allows events for up to 125,000 people, with live music and dance performances permitted until 03:00.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
But they have been permitted to shower with real soap, and so they look scrubbed.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Supply-chain backlogs, permitting fights and availability of power supplies are among the issues that have caused the construction of data centers to fall behind targeted timelines this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Weather permitting, astronomers say the natural spectacle promises to be a "very, very special" event - so, here's what you need to know about how and where to safely watch it unfold.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The trouble small-budget indies run into in L.A. is location and permitting costs, said Philip Sokoloski, vice president of communications at FilmLA, the nonprofit that coordinates permits and tracks local production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Myanmar government could "gain a lot from ASEAN" by permitting access to Suu Kyi, said researcher Morgan Michaels of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Verity is successful they’re sending a Lysander for me, at the field I found, on Sunday or Monday—all of it weather permitting and, of course, assuming we can collect the Rosalie.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
