From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprivilegepriv‧i‧lege1 /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 [countable]ADVANTAGE a special advantage that is given only to one person or group of people He had no special privileges and was treated just like every other prisoner.privilege of the privilege of a good education2 [singular]ADVANTAGE something that you are lucky to have the chance to do, and that you enjoy very muchthe privilege of doing something Today, we have the privilege of listening to two very unusual men.the privilege to do something I had the great privilege to play for Yorkshire. It is a privilege to hear her play.3 [uncountable]CLASS IN SOCIETY a situation in which people who are rich or of a high social class have many more advantages than other people wealth and privilege4 [uncountable] a situation in which doctors, lawyers etc are allowed to keep information about their discussions with their patients or clients secret from other people5 [countable, uncountable]PPRIGHT/HAVE THE RIGHT TO the right to do or say something unacceptable without being punished, especially in Parliamentbreach of privilege (=a breaking of the rules about what a Member of Parliament can do or say)
Examples from the Corpus
privilege• A good education should not just be a privilege of the rich.• Strauss alleged that this was an infringement of his absolute privilege of free speech and as such was a contempt of Parliament.• Countries within the European Community grant certain commercial privileges to each other.• If convicted, he could lose his diplomatic privileges.• Voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame is an enormous privilege, and it should be taken seriously by those involved.• But he fought privilege rather than use it wisely.• If the chores aren't done by the time the timer goes off, the kids lose privileges such as TV time.• Compton grew up in an atmosphere of privilege in the best part of St. Louis.• But surely she owed her beloved that honour at least, the honour of single combat, which is a dragon's privilege.• Why should famous people be given special privileges?• Foreign diplomats have all kinds of special privileges.• If prisoners behave well they are allowed the privilege of visiting their families at the weekend.• Not everyone has the privilege of a private education.• The higher rate includes the privilege of reserving screening carrels in advance.• They did not give up their privileges easily.special privileges• Some one wrote in all capital letters that unqualified disabled workers were slacking off and getting special privileges.• Smith did not believe that anyone should have special privileges.• Its administrative monopoly gave it special privileges and preferential economic treatment.• There were no special privileges for the Hollywood star.• The problem is the special privileges that a group known as floor traders have, according to the mutual fund industry.• The company car, the company plane, the special privileges will have to be justified.had ... privilege• The individual owed a duty to society, and had to respect privileges and those who enjoyed them.• I have never before had the privilege to work for such an environmentally-conscious, safe, dynamic and forward-thinking company.• If the clergy had privileges, they also had commensurate duties.• Clerks had particular privileges in society and were as a group apart.• McSpadden ruled that Lenhart had no such privilege, held her in contempt of court and ordered her jailed.• Could I really stand to live in a society where men had all the privileges and women none?• At 0900 promptly the youngest and newest recruit had the privilege of pressing the button.• There was a reason why they had foregone the privilege of having a singing canary in the dock.breach of privilege• To do otherwise might, indeed, be to court a breach of privilege.• Each House has a Committee of Privileges to which primafacie of breach of privilege or contempt of Parliament are referred.privilegeprivilege2 verb [transitive] formal to treat some people or things better than others→ See Verb tableFrom Longman Business Dictionaryprivilegepriv‧i‧lege /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/ noun1[countable] a special advantage given to a small group of people, organizations, countries etcThe newtrade privileges will enhance Vienna’s effort to attract US companies.The Treasury will allow dealers to bid on government securities, a privilege previously restricted to only 39 firms.2[countable, uncountable]LAW a right in law that protects a person, for example by not forcing them to discuss something, or allowing them freedom to say things that would not normally be acceptableSYNIMMUNITYMs. Backiel asserted theattorney-client privilege and refused to discuss the case.Committee members expressed concern that the case could threaten Parliament’s traditional privileges. —privileged adjectiveThe information will remain privileged because it is the result of Westinghouse’s relationship with its lawyers.Origin privilege (1100-1200) Old French Latin privilegium “law for or against a private person”, from privatus ( → PRIVATE1) + lex “law” 