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permission

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //pɝˈmɪʃən// UK //pəmˈɪʃən// per·mis·sion General-service

n. the act of allowing someone to do something. You usually need to ask for this before you start a task or enter a place.

n. the formal consent or authorization to perform a specific action. Often used in administrative or legal contexts to indicate that a restriction has been lifted.


SIMPLE

You need permission to leave the room.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher gave the students permission to use their calculators during the final math exam.

COMPLEX

Obtaining written permission from the copyright holder is a mandatory step before any of the archival footage can be included in the documentary film.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English permision, permission, permissioun, permyssion, from Middle French permission, from Latin permissiō. Equivalent to permit + -ion. Mostly replaced native English leave, from Old English lēaf (“permission”).

Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'give', 'grant', 'seek', or 'obtain'. It is uncountable in its general sense, though 'permissions' is used in computing to describe specific access rights.

Pitfall

I asked for a permissionI asked for permissionPermission is uncountable; do not use the indefinite article 'a' before it.

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