permit
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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permits,
present (3rd person singular)
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permitted,
past participle, past
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permitting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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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.
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to allow or admit (usually followed byof ).
statements that permit of no denial.
noun
verb
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(tr) to grant permission to do something
you are permitted to smoke
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(tr) to consent to or tolerate
she will not permit him to come
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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
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permitsimple
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permitssimple
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have permittedperfect
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has permittedperfect
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am permittingprogressive
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are permittingprogressive
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is permittingprogressive
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have been permittingperfect progressive
-
has been permittingperfect progressive
Past
-
permittedsimple
-
had permittedperfect
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was permittingprogressive
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were permittingprogressive
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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
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This Week in Words: January 20 - 26, 2018
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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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:
He went with the oldest heating technology in New England: the one that never needed a permit from New York or the Defense Production Act.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Wonder’s legal representatives also claimed they gave Efferson “three additional opportunities to permit entry” for an inspection, but she failed to respond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
"We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit, and the first to be tested by the audience," he told Chinese film industry outlet Yuli.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Action said a decision by the Thompkinses not to permit the company to share the boy’s medical details called into question the reliability of the family’s account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“The permit is in the glove box, remember?” she continued, arching an eyebrow to emphasize her point.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Under this new ordinance, student filmmakers, documentary crews and ultra-low-budget projects will be able to obtain free permits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Since then only a small fraction have had their permits restored.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
It plans to start construction after receiving the necessary permits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Munoz highlights the need to streamline mining permits, attract investment and improve infrastructure, especially in energy, logistics and water, which the industry requires.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The physical structure of the molecule enables its chemical nature, the chemical nature enables its physiological function, and its physiology ultimately permits its biological activity.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
But the judge initially permitted him to supervise prosecutions in his other roles — an arrangement the subsequent 9th Circuit ruling undermined.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Those who are determined to have provided false information will not be permitted to speak at this meeting or the next scheduled meeting,” the mayor warned at the beginning.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
But notice this is already different from the science-fiction fears birthed before AI was a real thing, when simple premises permitted so many startling conclusions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
For prospective purchasers considering rental use, the marketing materials state that rentals of at least 30 days are permitted up to 12 times annually.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Once I’d been questioned about my purpose for visiting and permitted onto the property, I stepped out of my car and walked across the parking lot to the Administration Building.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Peltola favors speedier permitting to boost oil-and-gas production, more refining capacity in the state and tax credits for renewables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Most recently, she helped Vega with permitting issues on the restaurant’s outdoor patio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
This is a major departure from the historic standard of net realized gains — thus, permitting managers to pocket performance fees on temporary highs that may vanish the next year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
More recently, he unveiled an executive order temporarily permitting trucks to use dyed diesel, a tax-exempt fuel typically used for farming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Their morale was low because they did not want to march in parades every Sunday afternoon and because Lieutenant Scheisskopf had appointed cadet officers from their ranks instead of permitting them to elect their own.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
