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:
The elders granted permission for the Malgana language to be included so that the culture could be recognized and celebrated.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
In late 2023, the New York Times sued ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Microsoft, its main investor, alleging that the companies' powerful artificial intelligence models used millions of articles for training without permission.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
He’s always been the ultimate team player, so if the Dodgers asked his permission to shut him down, he would agree, right?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The group's co-founder Huda Ammori is seeking permission to challenge the implementation of the ban at the UK Supreme Court.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
In December 1950, Dr. Frederick Johansen, Carville’s medical director, gives Joey permission to visit one of those friends in El Paso, Texas, for Christmas.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
They also priced out those potential updates and secured the necessary planning permissions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
And being vigilant when granting AI agents unrestricted permissions — to use external apps on one’s behalf, or to be able to edit and write with autonomy — might help keep one safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Leek said that in his view, it is necessary to restrict AI agent permissions and authorization at the technology execution layer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
In December, the White House said it wanted to make social media checks part of the process of applying for the permissions.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Of course, if you have been deemed special, and thus do have the proper permissions, please feel free to move on to the next page.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
