license

noun

1. (US, countable, uncountable)A legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.

   “Hello. I would like to buy a fish licence please.”

2. (US, countable, uncountable)The legal terms under which a person is allowed to use a product, especially software.

   “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?”

3. (US, countable, uncountable)Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behaviour or speech).

   “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.”

4. (US, countable, uncountable)Excessive freedom; lack of due restraint.

   “I envy not the beast that takes ⁠His license in the field of time, ⁠Unfetter’d by the sense of crime, To whom a conscience never wakes; […]”

   “When liberty becomes license dictatorship is near.”

5. (US, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of driver's license.

   “In order to enter the building, I need to show my license.”

verb

1. (US)To authorize officially.

   “I am licensed to practice law in this state.”

2. (US, transitive)(applied to a piece of intellectual property)

   “It was decided to license Wikipedia under the GFDL.”

   “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.”

3. (US, transitive)(applied to a piece of intellectual property)

   “The filmmakers licensed several iconic 80's songs for the soundtrack.”

   “As part of the strategic relationship, Microsoft has licensed the image segmentation, compression and viewing technology from ScanSoft.”

   “They changed their campaign, licensed the song and used it for over six years in all of their advertising.”

4. (US, transitive)To give permission or freedom to; accept.

   “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.’”

5. (US, transitive)To permit (as grammatically correct).

   “No English adverbs have mandatory complements, and most don't even license optional ones.”

   “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.”