permission
B1Formal to neutral.
Definition
Meaning
The formal or official consent or approval from an authority to do something.
A more general sense of being allowed to do something, which can range from formal authorization to informal personal allowance.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a power dynamic where one party grants or withholds the right. Often associated with rules, hierarchy, or ownership.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major semantic differences. The verb form 'to permission' (as in 'to grant permission for') is occasionally used in administrative/legal contexts, but is considered jargonistic by some. More common in AmE technical/bureaucratic writing.
Connotations
Similar in both varieties. Slightly stronger association with parental/child relationships in everyday contexts.
Frequency
Equally common and standard in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
permission to + infinitive (permission to leave)permission for + noun/gerund (permission for the event)permission from + noun (permission from the council)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “by/with your kind permission”
- “to be a pale imitation (play on 'permission/imitation') is not a direct idiom.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Required for contracts, data access, or procedural changes.
Academic
Needed for citing unpublished work, human subject research, or using copyrighted material.
Everyday
Used for children's activities, borrowing items, or accessing property.
Technical
In computing, refers to user access rights to files or systems (e.g., 'file permissions').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council does not typically 'permission' such developments in conservation areas.
- The software will not run unless the user is permissioned as an administrator.
American English
- The zoning board must permission any new construction on this land.
- The system administrator can permission individual users for specific modules.
adverb
British English
- N/A (No direct adverbial form. 'Permissively' exists but from 'permissive').
American English
- N/A (No direct adverbial form. 'Permissively' exists but from 'permissive').
adjective
British English
- N/A (The adjective form is 'permissive', not directly derived from 'permission' as a modifier).
American English
- N/A (The adjective form is 'permissive', not directly derived from 'permission' as a modifier).
Examples
By CEFR Level
- You need permission to use the computer.
- Can I have permission to go to the toilet?
- My mum gave me permission to watch TV.
- Did you get permission from your manager to take the day off?
- The teacher gave us permission to leave class early.
- You cannot enter this area without special permission.
- The company sought planning permission to build the new office block.
- He obtained the necessary permissions from the copyright holders before publishing the excerpts.
- Participants in the study gave their informed consent, which is a formal type of permission.
- The regulatory body's tacit permission allowed the project to proceed, albeit without formal documentation.
- Navigating the Byzantine bureaucracy to secure all the required permissions delayed the launch by months.
- The doctrine of 'implied permission' in law can be a contentious issue in property disputes.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'PERMISSION' as 'PERMIT's noun version. A PERMIT is a paper giving you perMISSION.
Conceptual Metaphor
PERMISSION IS A KEY (that unlocks an action). PERMISSION IS A GATE (that is opened or closed by an authority).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'разрешение' in contexts where 'solution' or 'resolution' is meant (e.g., 'разрешение конфликта' is 'resolution of a conflict', not 'permission').
- Do not confuse with 'allowance' as a regular payment. 'Parental permission' is not 'родительское пособие'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'permission' as a verb (e.g., 'He permissioned me' is incorrect; use 'He gave me permission' or 'He permitted me').
- Using 'permission of' instead of 'permission from' (e.g., 'I got permission of my boss' is less standard than 'permission from my boss').
- Confusing 'permission' (uncountable noun) with 'a permission' (rarely used; typically no article).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely collocation with 'permission'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but usually only in specific technical contexts, like computing ('Set the file permissions to read-only') or formal/legal contexts referring to multiple distinct authorizations ('We secured all the necessary planning permissions'). In everyday use, it's mostly uncountable.
'Permission' is broader, covering any approval from an authority. 'Consent' implies a more formal, often written, agreement, particularly regarding personal decisions (e.g., medical consent) or legal capacity. All consent is permission, but not all permission is as formal as consent.
The most common pattern is 'permission to + base form of verb' (e.g., 'She gave me permission to leave'). Other common structures are 'permission for + noun/gerund' ('permission for the party') and 'permission from + person/authority' ('permission from the headteacher').
Rarely and only informally ('He gave me his allowance to proceed'). 'Allowance' primarily means a regular sum of money or an amount permitted within limits (e.g., 'tax allowance'). Using it for 'permission' can cause confusion.