unlicensed
Americanadjective
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having no license.
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done or undertaken without license or permission; unauthorized.
-
unrestrained; unbridled.
adjective
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having no licence
an unlicensed restaurant
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without permission; unauthorized
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unrestrained or lawless
Etymology
Origin of unlicensed
First recorded in 1600–10; un- 1 + license ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
When something is unlicensed, it has no license, i.e., no official government approval. If a restaurant doesn't have a liquor license but serves wine anyway, it's an unlicensed sale of that beverage. You will hear the word unlicensed most often involving illegally-possessed firearms. Murders are often committed with unlicensed guns, meaning that the killer purchased the gun without a license, most likely from a shady dealer.
Vocabulary lists containing unlicensed
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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.
This is like a Super Bowl for people who enjoy watching unlicensed doctors in tight T-shirts give unsolicited health advice on TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
He is talking about limiting the validity of possession permits, and a possible amnesty to encourage those with unlicensed guns to hand them in.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Experts say that the program has contributed to the high number of unlicensed guns in circulation in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Of those, more than one million are unlicensed owners.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
City officials asked a state court to ban the car pool, claiming it was an unlicensed transportation system.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
