license

noun
li·​cense | \ ˈlī-sᵊn(t)s How to pronounce license (audio) \
variants: or licence

Definition of license

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : permission to act
b : freedom of action
2a : a permission granted by competent authority to engage in a business or occupation or in an activity otherwise unlawful a hunting license
b : a document, plate, or tag evidencing a license granted
c : a grant by the holder of a copyright or patent to another of any of the rights embodied in the copyright or patent short of an assignment of all rights
3a : freedom that allows or is used with irresponsibility Freedom of the press should not be turned into license.
b : disregard for standards of personal conduct : licentiousness
4 : deviation from fact, form, or rule by an artist or writer for the sake of the effect gained poetic license

license

verb
variants: or less commonly licence
licensed also licenced; licensing also licencing

Definition of license (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to issue a license to
b : to permit or authorize especially by formal license
2 : to give permission or consent to : allow

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Other Words from license

Noun

licensed \ ˈlī-​sᵊn(t)st How to pronounce licensed (audio) \ adjective

Verb

licensable \ ˈlī-​sᵊn(t)-​sə-​bəl How to pronounce licensable (audio) \ adjective
licensor \ ˈlī-​sᵊn(t)-​sər How to pronounce licensor (audio) , ˌli-​sᵊn-​ˈsȯr \ or less commonly licenser \ ˈlī-​sᵊn(t)-​sər How to pronounce licenser (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for license

Noun

freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated. freedom of the press liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion. the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom. freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

The Shared Roots of License and Licentious

License and licentious come ultimately from the same word in Latin, licentia, whose meanings ranged from "freedom to act" to "unruly behavior, wantonness." The Latin noun was itself derived from the verb licere "to be permitted." Though we are likely to associate license with the card that grants freedom or permission to operate a motor vehicle and licentious with sexual wantonness, in actuality, there is considerable semantic overlap between the two words. Poetic license refers to deviation from a (usually) literary norm for some purposeful effect. A person who takes license with something (or someone) engages in "abusive disregard for rules of personal conduct." Hence, the semantic range of license in English mirrors that of its Latin antecedent, suggesting either permission or transgression, depending upon the context. Licentious, on the other hand, always implies excessive, transgressive freedom, as is true of its immediate Latin source, licentiosus "unrestrained, wanton" (literally, "full of freedom").

Examples of license in a Sentence

Noun

The restaurant's owner applied for a license to sell liquor. His job as a reporter gives him license to go anywhere and ask anything.

Verb

The restaurant has now been licensed to sell liquor. a new drug licensed by the government The company licensed its name to others.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

So far this year, the average wait time for North Texas drivers hoping to renew their licenses at DPS offices is 1 hour and 16 minutes, the state says. Jesus Jimenez, Dallas News, "State data show 'mega center' waits are getting worse for Dallas drivers, but relief may come this fall," 23 Aug. 2019 Businesses that don’t comply could have their licenses suspended. Matt Stiles, Los Angeles Times, "A ban on sales of flavored tobacco for e-cigarettes could be coming to L.A. County," 23 Aug. 2019 The deputy pulled the vehicle over, asked the driver, later identified as Shaheed, for his license and registration and then called for another deputy with a drug sniffing dog to come to the scene, according to charging documents. Jon Kelvey, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Baltimore man charged with intent to distribute drugs in Westminster," 22 Aug. 2019 Imagine that: These kids aren’t thinking about getting their driver’s licenses or going on first dates. Halima Aden, Glamour, "For Model Halima Aden, World Humanitarian Day Is Personal," 19 Aug. 2019 His license, the paper reports, was reinstated on a probationary period in 1994 and was fully restored in 1997. Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, "Calif. Doctor Is Charged With Murder for Allegedly Overprescribing Pain Medication," 16 Aug. 2019 The pharmacy board suspended his license in 2011 and cited his arrest for driving under the influence several months earlier. Anchorage Daily News, "Just 15% of U.S. pharmacies distributed nearly half of prescription opioid pain pills," 12 Aug. 2019 Prince Philip was still driving at age 96 until a crash forced him to decide to surrender his license. Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "How Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family Really Travel," 10 Aug. 2019 The experience led Chavez to get his falconer license the same year. Ben Brazil, Daily Pilot, "Falconers keep Orange County from being overrun by birds," 8 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Washington Post reports the regulations by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s administration were adopted Friday and prohibit licensing facilities housing more than 15 residents. USA TODAY, "‘Stranger’ tourists, Phish and the plague, kinkajou attack: News from around our 50 states," 22 Aug. 2019