lasting for a long time or for all time in the future; existing all the time a permanent job permanent staff They are now living together on a permanent basis. The accident has not done any permanent damage. a permanent fixture (= a person or an object that is always in a particular place) The gallery hosts various exhibitions and a permanent collection. opposite impermanent, temporary Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, prove, seem, … adverbalmost, relatively, seemingly, … See full entry See related entries: Describing jobs Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin permanent- ‘remaining to the end’ (perhaps via Old French), from per- ‘through’ + manere ‘remain’.Extra examples We decided to make the arrangement permanent. He decided to make London his permanent home. He is aiming to become a permanent fixture in the team. He was Vietnam’s permanent representative at the UN. Holiday camps employ only a very small number of permanent staff. I’m not planning to move in here on a permanent basis. No permanent damage was done. She was unable to find a permanent job. The aim is a permanent reduction in inflation. The house is in a permanent state of chaos. The paintings are on permanent loan to the museum. The sheds were replaced with a permanent brick building. There is no guarantee of permanent employment after training.
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