authority or liberty given to do or forbear any act; especially, a formal permission from the proper authorities to perform certain acts or to carry on a certain business, which without such permission would be illegal; a grant of permission; as, a license to preach, to practice medicine, to sell gunpowder or intoxicating liquors.-the document granting such permission.-excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used in contempt of law or decorum; disregard of law or propriety.-that deviation from strict fact, form, or rule, in which an artist or writer indulges, assuming that it will be permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained; as, poetic license; grammatical license, etc.-to permit or authorize by license; to give license to; as, to license a man to preach.