special licence

British

noun

a licence permitting a marriage to take place by dispensing with the usual legal conditions

"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

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.

After the sanctions came into force Thursday morning, NIS said it "had not yet been granted an extension of the special licence from the United States Department of the Treasury".

From Barron's

She said: "Once they've checked that the bats are gone, I can get a special licence and it's confirmation that I can seal up all the potential entry points. So that when they come back next year they won't be able to get in."

From BBC

He showed me their marriage certificate - accompanied by a special licence from the Anglican Church, because "I wouldn't lie to the Archbishop of Canterbury".

From BBC

Abramovich was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea, providing he could prove he would not benefit from the sale.

From BBC

"It felt completely offensive to be told that my case would have to be held in private and that I wouldn't be privy to any of the information because that's how they operated, as if they're allowed some special licence to completely breach my human rights."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023