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)
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permitted,
past participle, past
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permitting
present participle
-
to grant permission; allow liberty to do something.
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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
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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
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has been permittingperfect progressive
Past
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permittedsimple
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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:
Wastewater treatment works can only operate with an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Even though my work permit has been temporary, my life here is not temporary,” said Zepeda, 57.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Iran will cooperate only to the extent that circumstances and safety permit," he told reporters after the board's vote.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
In Zvernec, because it was a rigidly protected area for environmental conservation by law, people did receive titles, but those titles didn’t permit them to develop their property however they wanted.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
He was much too meticulous an artist to permit so unsteady a hand to apply even a drop of paint to his hallways.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
She began receiving calls Tuesday morning from frantic TPS holders asking whether they should still attend medical appointments or how they will pay their rent without work permits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Doctors and specialised nurses often earn enough to meet Sweden's new, higher income requirements for work permits, but nursing assistants, elderly-care workers and adult children of healthcare workers in many cases do not.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
More than half of Tirana’s municipal budget comes from revenue from construction permits and taxes.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Douglass relied instead on an interpretive rule: Where constitutional language permits more than one plausible meaning, choose the one favoring liberty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
I had my old permits with me, a little altered to fit the new job.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
It has only been possible for tourists to visit the island of Sazan since 2015, and no overnight stays are permitted.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Ferrari's hopes of a home victory are boosted by the fact that Italian Antonelli will have a grid penalty for exceeding his permitted number of engine parts and is likely to start at the back.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Canal authorities are also reducing the permitted draft of vessels -- how deep they sit in the water -- from 15.24 to 14.63 meters.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Ask what the fees are, how much of your balance you’re permitted to move into it, and what you’re actually allowed to buy inside it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“The Swanburne letters are kept locked in a safe. Even I cannot access them. Only qualified persons are permitted to request access, which is granted rarely, and only with proper permission.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The inaugural LA Jazz Festival on Dockweiler Beach was canceled on what would have been its opening day, after its finances and permitting fell through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Diversifying infrastructure across multiple geographies can help hyperscalers reduce regulatory, permitting, and political concentration risk over time,” Lee said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
The fourth, again draw permitting, should be Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Manchester City.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
At the meeting, the president and oil executives discussed other ways to expand the nation’s refining capacity, including cutting regulations, speeding up the permitting process and making additional investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Even in his sleep he whimpered, twisting and turning endlessly, permitting no one to rest.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
