LICENSES Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

licenses 1 of 2

noun

variants or licences

plural of license

as in permissions

the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something the company is seeking license to operate several more power plants in the state

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in mandates

the granting of power to perform various acts or duties a restaurant owner has to get a license to serve food and drink

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as in authorizations

the right to act or move freely military commanders on the ground must be granted considerable license, as wars cannot be micromanaged by people back in Washington

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licenses

2 of 2

verb

variants also licences

present tense third-person singular of license

as in enables

to give official or legal power to a state statute licenses county sheriffs to choose their own deputies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of licenses

Noun

The legislation, which would have begun scaling back licenses for the occupation, was stalled in 2025. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026 The International Seabed Authority has granted 17 exploration licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, with five held by China, whose researchers conducted this viral survey. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026 AutoGov takes care of regular tasks like renewing licenses, paying bills, and booking routine health appointments. — Inzamam Rashid, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026 Chinese entities have applied for licenses for hundreds of thousands of communications satellites, and Chinese space companies are proliferating. — Kathleen Curlee, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026 The plan would also prohibit new horse carriage licenses; the horses would be retired, and the city would develop a transition program to help drivers find new jobs. — Jessica Moore, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 The administration has waged a multi-front battle against the press, including an early review of the broadcast licenses for ABC's local TV stations that could lead to them being revoked. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 But Broadcom’s decision to stop selling VMware perpetual licenses and bundle VMware products into fewer, larger, and more expensive SKUs led Topgolf, as well as many other VMware customers, to look elsewhere. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026 Part of that includes the issuing of licenses for clubs to be able to operate, which will begin from November. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

The California Department of Health Care Services, the state agency that licenses and oversees addiction treatment centers, has been criticized as having lax regulations governing how most private-pay rehabs can operate. — Ilan Shrira, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026 Pharma giant Novo licenses Chinese weight-loss drug Danish pharma giant Novo licensed a weight-loss treatment developed by a Chinese firm, highlighting advances in China’s increasingly cutting-edge biotech sector. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Money transmission is regulated state by state, and most crypto platforms spend years assembling money transmitter licenses one jurisdiction at a time. — Ivan Kan, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 There’s the brand, or franchisor, such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, Choice, which licenses the flag, the loyalty program, and the reservation system but may own little or none of the underlying real estate. — Emma Clapp, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 Udio signed with Merlin, which licenses music on behalf of independent labels, and with independent publisher Kobalt. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Arm licenses its Arm instruction set — the main commercial alternative to x86 — to other companies that design chips, such as Amazon's Graviton CPU and Nvidia's Grace and Vera CPUs. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026 The California Public Utilities Commission licenses companies that use autonomous vehicles to transport members of the public and oversees robotaxi pilot programs. — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation licenses funeral directors and embalmers. — Susana Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for licenses

Noun

When the user reached out to Meta, a support staff member reportedly recommended disabling several settings, including mic and camera permissions.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Depending on the app, its permissions and its privacy practices, that technology may collect or receive information about your device and location.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of permissions

Noun

There is just the slow hiss and sigh of the machines, tucked safely out of sight, as social media filled with resistance to mask mandates, to empathy and authority, to the power of the state, and the chorus of anti-vaxxers grew.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
The Academy of Pediatrics says decisions about gender affirming care should be made by patients and physicians, not government mandates.

— Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of mandates

Noun

General guidance from the federal government states that HIPAA authorizations do not need to be notarized.

— Alex Rosenblat — CalMatters, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Americans are stuck in an endless loop of prior authorizations, high deductibles, and coverage denials while hospital systems across the country are barely scraping by.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of authorizations

Verb

Modular design enables upgrades Mayhem 10 features an open architecture that allows AeroVironment to incorporate third-party technologies without redesigning the entire platform.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Every farmer wants to do the right thing by their land—that enables them to sustain their business and pass it on to the next generation.

— Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of enables

Noun

Licenses and permits, including a sales tax permit if products will be sold, also may be required.

— Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
On Monday, the Overland Park City Council will look at special events permits for the farmers market to take place this spring and summer — including issuing a special events permit for the market’s new location, 7950 Marty Street, starting in early June.

— Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2026

Definition of permits

Noun

Originating in the United States, this is one of the oldest accreditations globally, known for rigorous standards in faculty and curriculum quality.

— Habib Al Souleiman, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
This year’s 2,140 industry accreditations were up 10 percent from last year’s 1,940.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of accreditations

Verb

Its defining feature is a flight system designed to manage the transition from takeoff to cruise after an operator authorizes launch.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
The declaration, announced Saturday afternoon, authorizes FEMA to coordinate all federal disaster relief.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of authorizes

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licensees

licenses

licensing

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Style

“Licenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licenses. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of licenses

noun

verb

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