licence

[ lahy-suhns ]

noun

1. Chiefly British. a variant of license.

licence

/ ˈlaɪsəns /

noun

1. a certificate, tag, document, etc, giving official permission to do something
2. formal permission or exemption
3. liberty of action or thought; freedom
4. intentional disregard of or deviation from conventional rules to achieve a certain effect

   poetic licence

5. excessive freedom
6. licentiousness

Word History and Origins

Origin of licence¹

C14: via Old French and Medieval Latin licentia permission, from Latin: freedom, from licet it is allowed

Example Sentences

A west London nightclub could lose its licence after a gun battle erupted at the exact moment a health and safety officer was visiting to investigate crime and disorder claims.

From BBC

Many of those let out early were released on licence.

From BBC

"They want to keep their driving licence for as long as possible because public transport isn't at times as good as it could be," he said.

From BBC

They added that a report had been made for driving without a valid driver's licence.

From BBC

The new bill also proposes powers for ministers to change the point of release under licence conditions for people serving sentences of four years or more.

From BBC