licence
noun (especially US license)
ˈlaɪsns 
ˈlaɪsns 
1 [countable] an official document that shows that permission has been given to do, own or use somethinga driving licencelicence (for something) a licence for the softwareIs there a licence fee?James lost his licence for six months (= had his licence taken away by the police as a punishment).licence (to do something) You need a licence to fish in this river.a licence holder (= a person who has been given a licence)a site licence for the new software2 [uncountable, singular] licence (to do something) (formal) freedom to do or say whatever you want, often something bad or unacceptableLack of punishment seems to give youngsters licence to break the law.3 [uncountable] (formal) freedom to behave in a way that is considered sexually immoralIdioms
artistic/poetic licence
the freedom of artists or writers to change facts in order to make a story, painting, etc. more interesting or beautiful
