Definitions for license
ˈlaɪ sənsli·cense

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. license, licence, permit(noun)

   a legal document giving official permission to do something

2. license, licence(noun)

   freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behavior or speech)

3. license, licence(noun)

   excessive freedom; lack of due restraint

   "when liberty becomes license dictatorship is near"- Will Durant; "the intolerable license with which the newspapers break...the rules of decorum"- Edmund Burke

4. license, permission, permit(verb)

   the act of giving a formal (usually written) authorization

5. license, licence, certify(verb)

   authorize officially

   "I am licensed to practice law in this state"

Wiktionary(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. license(Noun)

   A legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

2. license(Noun)

   The legal terms under which a person is allowed to use a product, especially software.

   Even if you bought this product, it does NOT belong to you. You have a license to use it under the terms of this agreement, until you breach this agreement.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

3. license(Noun)

   Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behavior or speech).

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

4. license(Noun)

   Excessive freedom; lack of due restraint.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

5. license(Noun)

   An academic degree, the holder of which is called a licentiate, ranking slightly below doctorate, awarded by certain European and Latin-American universities.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

6. license(Verb)

   The act of giving a formal (usually written) authorization.

   It was decided to license Wikipedia under the GFDL.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

7. license(Verb)

   Authorize officially.

   I am licensed to practice law in this state.

   Etymology: From licence, from licentia, from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, λείπω.

Wikipedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. License

   A license (American English) or licence (British English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).A license can be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement between those parties. A shorthand definition of a license is "an authorization to use licensed material". In particular, a license may be issued by authorities, to allow an activity that would otherwise be forbidden. It may require paying a fee or proving a capability. The requirement may also serve to keep the authorities informed on a type of activity, and to give them the opportunity to set conditions and limitations. A licensor may grant a license under intellectual property laws to authorize a use (such as copying software or using a (patented) invention) to a licensee, sparing the licensee from a claim of infringement brought by the licensor. A license under intellectual property commonly has several components beyond the grant itself, including a term, territory, renewal provisions, and other limitations deemed vital to the licensor. Term: many licenses are valid for a particular length of time. This protects the licensor should the value of the license increase, or market conditions change. It also preserves enforceability by ensuring that no license extends beyond the term of the agreement. Territory: a license may stipulate what territory the rights pertain to. For example, a license with a territory limited to "North America" (Mexico/United States/Canada) would not permit a licensee any protection from actions for use in Japan. A shorthand definition of license is "a promise by the licensor not to sue the licensee". That means without a license any use or exploitation of intellectual property by a third party would amount to copying or infringement. Such copying would be improper and could, by using the legal system, be stopped if the intellectual property owner wanted to do so.Intellectual property licensing plays a major role in business, academia and broadcasting. Business practices such as franchising, technology transfer, publication and character merchandising entirely depend on the licensing of intellectual property. Land licensing (proprietary licensing) and IP licensing form sub-branches of law born out of the interplay of general laws of contract and specific principles and statutory laws relating to these respective assets.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. License(noun)

   authority or liberty given to do or forbear any act; especially, a formal permission from the proper authorities to perform certain acts or to carry on a certain business, which without such permission would be illegal; a grant of permission; as, a license to preach, to practice medicine, to sell gunpowder or intoxicating liquors

2. License(noun)

   the document granting such permission

3. License(noun)

   excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used in contempt of law or decorum; disregard of law or propriety

4. License(noun)

   that deviation from strict fact, form, or rule, in which an artist or writer indulges, assuming that it will be permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained; as, poetic license; grammatical license, etc

5. License(verb)

   to permit or authorize by license; to give license to; as, to license a man to preach

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. License

   Licence, lī′sens, n. a being allowed: leave: grant of permission, as for manufacturing a patented article or for the sale of intoxicants: the document by which authority is conferred: excess or abuse of freedom: a departure from rules or standards in art or literature.—v.t. Lī′cense, to grant license to: to authorise or permit.—adj. Lī′censable.—ns. Licensee′, one to whom license is granted; Lī′censer, one who grants license or permission: one authorised to license; Lī′censure, act of licensing; Licen′tiate, among Presbyterians, a person authorised by a Presbytery to preach: on the Continent, an academical dignity, forming the step from the baccalaureate to the doctorate.—adj. Licen′tious, indulging in excessive freedom: given to the indulgence of the animal passions: dissolute.—adv. Licen′tiously.—n. Licen′tiousness.—High license, a mode of regulating the traffic in alcoholic drinks by exacting a comparatively large sum for the privilege of selling such; Special license, license given by the Archbishop of Canterbury permitting the marriage of two specified persons without banns, and at a place and time other than those prescribed by law. [Fr.,—L. licentia—licet.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. license

   An official permission from the Board of Trade, to such persons as it thinks fit to supply seamen or apprentices for merchant-ships in the United Kingdom. (See RUNNER, LICENSED.)

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. license

   A legal document giving permission for a specific purpose.

   We have a driving licence and other people have a dog license.

   Submitted by MaryC on May 1, 2020  

Anagrams for license »

1. selenic, silence

2. Selenic

How to pronounce license?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say license in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of license in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of license in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of license in a Sentence

1. David Horowitz:

   If she were a white racist rather than an anti-white racist, she would never be hired. Professors are supposed to be experts in some scholarly field, and professionals in their classroom discourse. They don't have a license to indoctrinate students in their prejudices - whether those prejudices are right or left.

2. Levar Jones:

   I was just grabbing my license! why did you shoot me?

3. Brad Adams:

   A blanket immunity clause in Thailand's new constitution would allow the military to commit abuses without fear of prosecution, given the Thai military's long record of human rights abuses, this would effectively be giving soldiers a license to kill.

4. Ricardo Lara:

   No university should have a license to discriminate.

5. Larry Wolk:

   It's taking kids along the track of, 'Well, you're putting in jeopardy your potential to do well in school or to graduate or to be successful once you get your driver's license because marijuana does impair you if you're going to use it and drive, and it does impair you if you're trying to study or you're trying to do well in school or you're trying to get a good job.

Images & Illustrations of license

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