license

license — 名詞

1. formal permission from an official body that allows a person or business to do s

1.名詞B1
釋義

執照；許可證

官方授予的許可或證明文件

formal permission from an official body that allows a person or business to do something that would otherwise be illegal; also, the card, document, or tag that proves this permission has been granted.

例句

Felipe had to show his driver's license before the bank would cash the check.

Felipe 在銀行兌現支票前必須出示他的駕駛執照。

collocation: driver's license

The owner of the shop applied for a new business license from the city office.

這家店的老闆向市政府申請了新的營業執照。

collocation: business license / apply for a license

同義詞
  • permit

    more general; can be temporary or for a single activity (parking permit vs. driver's license)

  • certification

    focuses on the proof of qualifications rather than permission from authority

  • authorization

    emphasizes the act of granting permission more than the physical document

反義詞
  • ban

    a formal prohibition that removes permission

文法句型

a license to do something

a license for something

用法筆記

In British English, the noun is spelled licence and the verb is spelled license. In US English, both noun and verb are spelled license. The noun often appears with an article (a license, the license) and is frequently modified by the type of permission (driver's license, business license, liquor license).

常見錯誤

❌I need to pass my license test next week.
✅I need to pass my driving test to get my license next week.
💡The license is the document you receive after passing a test; the test itself is not called a license.
❌She has license to practice medicine in this state.' (when meaning the document)
✅She has a license to practice medicine in this state.
💡When referring to the official document, license is a countable noun and needs an article.

2. the freedom to set aside normal rules, standards, or facts in a particular situa

2.名詞C1
釋義

自由；放縱

偏離規範或規則的自由

the freedom to set aside normal rules, standards, or facts in a particular situation — for example, changing details in a story for artistic effect, or allowing a child more room to behave freely than usual.

例句

Amihan used poetic license to change the ending of the true story for her novel.

Amihan 運用了詩歌創作自由，為她的小說改編了真實故事的結局。

fixed phrase: poetic license

The director took artistic license by setting the film in 1990 instead of 1980.

那位導演在藝術上做了自由發揮，把電影的背景年代設在 1990 年而非 1980 年。

fixed phrase: artistic license / took artistic license

同義詞
  • leeway

    more informal; emphasizes room to maneuver within limits

  • latitude

    more formal; suggests freedom to choose how to act within a range

  • freedom

    broader in meaning; lacks the sense of deliberate deviation from rules

反義詞
  • restriction

    a rule or limit that takes away freedom of action

文法句型

license to + noun

modifier + license

用法筆記

Often paired with a descriptive modifier such as poetic license, artistic license, or creative license. Used without a modifier, the word can carry a negative tone of excessive or careless freedom. Distinguish from sense 1 (OFFICIAL PERMISSION) where license refers to a concrete document or formal right.

常見錯誤

❌The writer took license to describe the battle from a soldier's view.
✅The writer took poetic license to describe the battle from a soldier's view.
💡In this sense, license is typically paired with a modifier (poetic, artistic, creative) to make the meaning clear.

license — 動詞