license 1 of 2

variants or licence

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

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
Trump has repeatedly threatened NBC, ABC and CBS over their coverage of him and suggested his Federal Communications Commission pull their broadcast licenses. Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025 Applicants for a permit must first have a current license to operate from the Lake County Health Department, a diagram showing the size of the vehicle or trailer, an Illinois sales tax certificate and proper insurance listing the city as an additional insured, according to city regulations. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
He and his wife have been licensed as foster parents by DCF, and the agency has awarded them one of its Foster Parent of the Year Awards. Nate Baber, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025 Aadi Bioscience's current focus is on developing a portfolio of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADC Therapies) licensed from WuXi Biologics, targeting cancer indications with significant unmet needs. Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • State Democratic legislators, who hold the majority in Colorado, gave Republicans permission to remove and replace the likeness.
    Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Mar. 2025
  • If permission were granted, propellent production could grow in a matter of months.
    Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Ceasefire talks are taking place in Saudi Arabia involving Russian, Ukrainian and American delegations.
    Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The work of delegations continues.
    Greg Norman, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Related article Top vaccine official forced out of FDA And Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, who was instrumental in the development and authorization of mRNA vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic, was forced out of the agency this month.
    Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Roughly 985,000 people used the app to make appointments at a port of entry at the border, with those who entered often permitted to seek asylum and given temporary work authorization.
    Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Phishing attacks often attempt to get people to share personal information, like Social Security numbers, which enables criminals to access finances.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Archer Aviation Archer's efforts to secure what's called 'Type Certification' from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Midnight could enable the eVTOL company to operate out of major airports.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Mexico’s national human-rights commission has difficulty gaining access to such sites.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2025
  • However, Flow Space may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
    Korin Miller, Flow Space, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Rebels and others are opening the gates of Assad’s many prisons, and the world is watching as captives walk from their cells to freedom.
    Tony Hunter, Sun Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Basketball Friday is freedom day for high school basketball transfers who switched schools without moving.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The House voted Tuesday to effectively kill a discharge petition championed by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida that forced a vote on a measure that would have permitted remote voting for new parents.
    Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Under former trade agreements, China committed to releasing 34 foreign films per year under revenue-share terms, with overseas studios permitted to a 25 percent share of ticket sales.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • While Musk’s often self-aggrandizing moves can be polarizing, Trump’s promotion of him as his proxy balances it out.
    Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Nike has other picks on sale—pretty much every category on their site has some kind of promotion going on—including a bunch of top-selling sneaks.
    Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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