Definition of "license"

license

/ˈlaɪsəns/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural licenses
1. A legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.
  Quotations
  Hello. I would like to buy a fish licence please.
  1970, 0:1:15 from the start, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, season 2, episode 10, John Cleese (actor)
2. The legal terms under which a person is allowed to use a product, especially software.
  Quotations
  Thus, while the license will grant the user the right to use the software, a major concern is the scope of that use. For example, will the user be granted the right to copy, modify, or transfer the software?
  1986, Thomas Smedinghoff, The Legal Guide to Developing, Protecting, and Marketing Software‎, page 166
3. Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behaviour or speech).
  Quotations
  In some instances, the author took license to include events which never happened, or to purposely create events which may run in the face of popular conjecture if the author felt it would help the story along.
  2012, Chris Seepe, The Conspiracy to Assassinate Jesus Christ‎, page 5
4. Excessive freedom; lack of due restraint.
  Quotations
  When liberty becomes license dictatorship is near.
  1936, Will Durant, Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization, page 520
5. Short for driver's license.
verb
third-person singular simple present licenses, present participle licensing, simple past and past participle licensed
1. To authorize officially.
2. (transitive) (applied to a piece of intellectual property)
  1. To give formal authorization to use.
    Quotations
    The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies.
    2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68
  2. To acquire authorization to use, usually in exchange for compensation.
    Quotations
    As part of the strategic relationship, Microsoft has licensed the image segmentation, compression and viewing technology from ScanSoft.
    2000, International Journal of Micrographics & Optical Technology‎
    They changed their campaign, licensed the song and used it for over six years in all of their advertising.
    2007, Steve Swayne, How Sondheim Found His Sound‎
3. (transitive) To give permission or freedom to; accept.
  Quotations
  Intruders there were in Harley Street, of whom it was not aware; but Mr and Mrs Merdle it delighted to honour. Society was aware of Mr and Mrs Merdle. Society had said ‘Let us license them; let us know them.’
  1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857
4. (linguistics, transitive) To permit (as grammatically correct).
  Quotations
  Kayne argues that the crucial fact which licenses preposition stranding in English but not in French is the fact that in English verbs and prepositions assign Case similarly, and hence they govern similarly.
  2014, Hagit Borer, Parametric Syntax: Case Studies in Semitic and Romance Languages‎

Definition of "license"

license

noun

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verb

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