permit
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Allow the presence of or allow without opposing or prohibiting.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
permitSay the bold part a little louder.
noun: purmitverb: permit
IPA pronunciation (US)
pɚˈmɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for.
Consent to, give permission
“She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband.”
Allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting
intransitive
To allow for, to make something possible.
Make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
“This permits the water to rush in.”
transitivepronounced like noun
To grant formal authorization for (something).
noun
A learner's permit.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for.
Used this way, permit is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use permit
- “This permits the water to rush in.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A document authorizing the holder to construct a building of a particular kind on a particular lot.
A license authorizing the bearer to fish during a specified period of time.
A license authorizing the bearer to kill a certain type of animal during a specified period of time.
A document authorizing the bearer to learn to drive an automobile.
A legal document giving information required for employment of certain people in certain countries.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to allow (something) to happen
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.