license 1 of 2

variants or licence
Definition of licensenext

license

2 of 2

verb

variants also licence

Synonym Chooser

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, 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

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, 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

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of license
Noun
Denver police used license-plate reader technology from neighboring Aurora to identify and arrest a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder. John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026 Wade also was unable to renew his driver’s license around this time, since the state required a current green card, the lawyer said. Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
If state licensing isn’t necessary and a private association is enough, then why have child care facilities at all that are licensed? Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 The event was created by Mischief Management, which licensed Barbie from Mattel, a Mattel spokesperson said. Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • To qualify for the legal permission to remain in the country, these immigrants must pass background checks and renew their application every two years.
    Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The Associated Press has been granted permission by the Iranian government to send an additional team into the country for a brief reporting trip.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • As the district seeks formal accreditation, Williams is proposing a quarterly status review led by the superintendent.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The British government responded in February by revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The work stoppage was overwhelmingly approved by the rank-and-file via a strike authorization vote weeks before the contract was up.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Ring faced further scrutiny when the Federal Trade Commission investigated the company in 2023 after employees illegally surveilled customers and accessed footage without authorization.
    Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That vision of worldwide economic and cultural interdependence that enabled the proliferation of biennials in the ’90s has been steadily eroding amid the recent rise in nativism and far-right movements in the United States and Europe.
    Smooth Nzewi, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Shackelford accused Hernandez of corruption, and her own department of enabling and covering it up, in a detailed whistleblower complaint to DeSantis’ Chief Inspector General.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • And in the case of Henrietta Lacks, who was African American, her cells were taken without consent and used in ground-breaking research without her family’s knowledge.
    Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with a parent or guardian’s consent.
    Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In the claim, Nancy Lemus' attorneys alleged that Eklund and Osborn failed to follow departmental and legal mandates for handling explosives.
    Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • This law, presented in the name of anti-discrimination, threatens to do exactly that against private religious institutions that do not comply with state mandates or rules that would conflict with a private religious institution’s beliefs and views.
    Stephen Mitchell, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Together, these cosmic ingredients could keep auroras active tonight, offering skywatchers another chance to glimpse the colorful display dancing across higher-latitude skies.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • In northern latitudes, greenhouses are usually oriented east to west, with a clear exposure on the south side (that means no shade).
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • After the truck discovery, a grand jury authorized more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants, allowing the task force to dig in to Heuermann’s life.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told the AP that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.
    Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

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