unlicensed
Americanadjective
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having no license.
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done or undertaken without license or permission; unauthorized.
-
unrestrained; unbridled.
adjective
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having no licence
an unlicensed restaurant
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without permission; unauthorized
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unrestrained or lawless
Etymology
Origin of unlicensed
First recorded in 1600–10; un- 1 + license ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
When something is unlicensed, it has no license, i.e., no official government approval. If a restaurant doesn't have a liquor license but serves wine anyway, it's an unlicensed sale of that beverage. You will hear the word unlicensed most often involving illegally-possessed firearms. Murders are often committed with unlicensed guns, meaning that the killer purchased the gun without a license, most likely from a shady dealer.
Vocabulary lists containing unlicensed
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Prediction markets, to the extent they facilitate unlicensed gambling, are illegal in Nevada, and we have a statutory duty to protect the public.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
Nvidia’s advanced AI chips were placed under U.S. export controls by the Biden administration in October 2022, thereby restricting unlicensed sales to companies in China.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026
Platforms like Kalshi and its biggest rival Polymarket remain illegal or unregulated in most countries outside the United States, where regulators have generally classified them as unlicensed gambling.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
Ministers argue there is a "strong case for stopping unlicensed sponsorship altogether given the brand visibility could drive consumers towards unlicensed sites operating outside the Gambling Commission's regulatory protections".
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
Because Abel had started running an unlicensed business in a residential area, one of the neighbors filed a petition to get rid of us.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
