Word family noun permission permit permissiveness adjective permissible ≠ impermissible permissive verb permit
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpermissionper‧mis‧sion /pəˈmɪʃən $ pər-/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [uncountable] LET/ALLOWif you have permission to do something, you are officially allowed to do itpermission from You'll have to get permission from your parents if you want to come.permission for The Council refused permission for the development. Photographs should only be taken with the permission of the subject. → planning permissionGRAMMAR: Countable or uncountable?• Permission is normally used as an uncountable noun: Permission was granted for the interview. ✗Don’t say: a permission was granted | the permission was granted • The plural form permissions is also sometimes used when talking about official written statements allowing someone to do something: The company needs to obtain all the necessary permissions before it can start drilling for oil.COLLOCATIONSverbshave permission to do somethingThey did not have permission to build on the land.ask (for) permission (also request permission formal)Tommy asked for permission to go to the bathroom.Captain Miller requested permission to land.apply for permission (=ask for official written permission)The company has applied for permission to drill for oil. get permission (also obtain/receive permission formal)We'll need to get permission to film in the museum.You must obtain permission from the owners before viewing the property.give permission (also grant somebody permission formal)The city authorities gave permission for the rally to take place.In 1961, he was granted permission to emigrate to Israel.refuse/deny (somebody) permissionBetty's father refused her permission to attend the dance.seek permission formal (=ask someone for permission)People wanting to visit the island have to seek permission from the authorities.need permissionYou'll need written permission from your parents first.adjectiveswritten permissionDoctors need written permission from the patient before they can operate.special permissionThe paintings cannot be taken out of Russia without special permission.official permissionMr Murphy was granted official permission to travel to North Korea.planning permission (=official permission to build a new building or change an existing one)The bank has applied for planning permission to redevelop a 1¼-acre site. express permission (=definitely or clearly given)He is not to leave without my express permission. phraseswithout permissionPages should not be copied without the permission of the publisher. with somebody's permissionWith your permission, I'd like to talk to your son alone.by kind permission of somebody formal (=used for thanking someone for allowing something)This photograph is reproduced by kind permission of Country Living.Examples from the Corpus
permission• Reproduced by permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library.• I had to get official permission to visit the prison.• Councillors complained that the full council should have been consulted before planning permission was given.• In short, planning permission was effectively withheld.• Planning permission was not required from the Department in London.• The changes to the book were all made with the author's permission.• We're not allowed to camp here without the farmer's permission.• But many smaller players operate independently or with the permission of the Arellanos.• Allen Ginsberg gave us permission, and demanded accountability.• To invent ways of doing things; to see what was needed and attack it without permission.• In fact, he says he needs written permission a week in advance before delivery lorries can get to his home.From Longman Business Dictionarypermissionper‧mis‧sion /pəˈmɪʃənpər-/ noun [countable, uncountable] when someone is officially told that they are allowed to do somethingpermission to do somethingThe Board denied the company permission to build the pipeline.The officer approved $4.5 million in loans without getting the bank’s permission.permission forAirlines need their own government’s permission for internal flights. → planning permission 