Heavy drinking can cause permanent damage to the brain.
...a permanent solution to the problem.
The ban is intended to be permanent.
Synonyms: lasting, fixed, constant, enduring More Synonyms of permanent
permanentlyadverb [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
His reason had been permanently affected by what he had witnessed.
The only way to lose weight permanently is to completely change your attitudes towardfood.
permanenceuncountable noun
Anything which threatens the permanence of the treaty is a threat to peace. [+ of]
Synonyms: continuity, survival, stability, duration More Synonyms of permanent
permanencyuncountable noun
They gradually realized the permanency of their condition.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use permanent to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties.
...a permanent state of tension.
They feel under permanent threat.
There was a permanent 20-yard queue for the portable toilets.
permanentlyadverb
...the heavy, permanently locked gate.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A permanent employee is one who is employed for an unlimited length of time.
At the end of the probationary period you will become a permanent employee.
...a permanent job.
Synonyms: long-term, established, secure, stable More Synonyms of permanent
permanentlyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
...permanently employed registered dockers.
Synonyms: for ever, constantly, continually, always More Synonyms of permanent
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Your permanent home or your permanent address is the one at which you spend most of your time or the one that you return to after having stayed in other places.
York Cottage was as near to a permanent home as the children knew.
They had no permanent address.
5. countable noun
A permanent is a treatment where a hair stylist curls your hair and treats it with a chemical so that it stays curly for several months.
[US]regional note: in BRIT, use perm
permanent in British English
(ˈpɜːmənənt)
adjective
1.
existing or intended to exist for an indefinite period
a permanent structure
2.
not expected to change for an indefinite time; not temporary
a permanent condition
Derived forms
permanently (ˈpermanently)
adverb
Word origin
C15: from Latin permanens continuing, from permanēre to stay to the end, from per- through + manēre to remain
permanent in American English
(ˈpɜrmənənt)
adjective
1.
lasting or intended to last indefinitely without change
2.
lasting a relatively long time
noun
3.
a hair wave that is produced as by applying chemical preparations and that remains even after the hair is washed
Derived forms
permanently (ˈpermanently)
adverb
Word origin
ME < MFr < L permanens, prp. of permanere < per, through + manere, to remain: see manor
Examples of 'permanent' in a sentence
permanent
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Now he is considering sitting away from the touchline on a permanent basis.
The Sun (2016)
When the job became permanent she moved us.
The Sun (2017)
The brewery helps them gain work experience so they can find permanent jobs elsewhere.
The Sun (2016)
The family have a permanent home here.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Uncertainty also makes firms more likely to employ temporary workers rather than take on new permanent staff.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Stoke have the option to make the deal permanent if the 24-year-old impresses.
The Sun (2016)
While the upheavals had important cultural and social impacts, they led to little permanent change.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Stoke have not agreed a fee with City to sign him on a permanent basis.
The Sun (2016)
The Millers caretaker chief is likely to get a permanent deal having impressed in his four games in charge despite three ending in narrow defeats.
The Sun (2016)
In it she tells a jealous ex: 'I see the permanent damage you did to me.
The Sun (2016)
Tigers hope to seal permanent deals for two loan stars as well.
The Sun (2009)
Whether the damage is permanent will become clear only with time.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It was necessary to find a temporary home before a permanent one could be acquired.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Three quarters of firms said they would boost permanent jobs in the next three months.
The Sun (2012)
Nor would it matter if the eight weekends became the pretext for a permanent nationwide change.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What are the symptoms and is it a permanent medical condition?
The Sun (2011)
It should contain the same sort of information that a permanent member of staff would receive.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Three died and another suffered permanent brain damage.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
My method involved a permanent change in her life and her attitude to her dog.
Jan Fennell, Foreword by Monty Roberts THE DOG LISTENER: Learning the Language of your Best Friend (2002)
That seems to be a permanent condition.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
They did no permanent damage to me and did not affect my adolescent years.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We added that we were committed to finding a permanent public home in which to display the garment.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The computer chip promises to turn shortterm memories into permanent ones by replacing the damaged memory centre of the brain.
The Sun (2015)
Farms that mostly get by with a handful of permanent employees suddenly need hundreds of workers for a few weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Britain needs more housing but there is no justification for building homes with a permanent legacy of high energy bills.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
West Ham say that the moves are permanent.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Villa are willing to pay 3 million for a permanent deal for the player.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It said that while some might take permanent jobs, it could not tell how many.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Ministers change, but permanent staff ought to be providing continuity and experience.
The Sun (2009)
The deal could become permanent for 8 million next summer.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But once you are given that job on a permanent basis, then there is a whole lot more pressure and expectation to contend with.
The Sun (2012)
But after that, it's difficult to recapture the magic on a permanent basis.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But his form was patchy and he left for Portsmouth on loan in June with a view to a permanent move.
The Sun (2006)
In other languages
permanent
British English: permanent /ˈpɜːmənənt/ ADJECTIVE
Permanent means lasting for ever or occurring all the time.
...permanent damage to the brain.
American English: permanent
Arabic: دَائِمٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: permanente
Chinese: 永久的
Croatian: stalan
Czech: trvalý
Danish: permanent
Dutch: permanent
European Spanish: permanente
Finnish: pysyvä
French: permanent
German: dauerhaft
Greek: μόνιμος
Italian: permanente durevole
Japanese: 永久の
Korean: 영구적인
Norwegian: varig
Polish: trwały
European Portuguese: permanente
Romanian: permanent
Russian: постоянный
Latin American Spanish: permanente
Swedish: permanent
Thai: ถาวร
Turkish: kalıcı
Ukrainian: постійний
Vietnamese: vĩnh cửu
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All related terms of 'permanent'
permanent job
A job is the work that someone does to earn money.
permanent set
the change in shape of a material that results when the load to which it is subjected causes the elastic limit to be exceeded and is then removed
permanent way
the track of a railway , including the ballast , sleepers , rails , etc
permanent base
Your base is the main place where you work, stay , or live .
permanent press
a chemical treatment for clothing that makes the fabric crease-resistant and sometimes provides a garment with a permanent crease or pleats
permanent seat
A seat is an object that you can sit on, for example a chair .
permanent staff
The staff of an organization are the people who work for it.
permanent tooth
any of the set of 32 adult human teeth that replace the milk teeth, including 4 cuspids , 8 bicuspids, 8 incisors , and 12 molars
permanent wave
A permanent wave is the same as a → perm .
permanent account
A permanent account is an account which carries its balance and is kept open from year to year.
permanent address
a fixed address
permanent fixture
If you describe someone or something as a fixture in a particular place or occasion , you mean that they always seem to be there.
permanent hardness
hardness of water that cannot be removed by boiling as it results mainly from the presence of calcium and magnesium chlorides and sulphates
permanent magnet
a magnet , often of steel , that retains its magnetization after the magnetic field producing it has been removed
permanent reminder
Something that serves as a reminder of another thing makes you think about the other thing.
permanent resident
an immigrant who has been given official residential status , often prior to being granted citizenship
permanent transfer
In professional sports, if a player transfers or is transferred from one club to another, they leave one club and begin playing for another.
permanent appointment
The appointment of a person to a particular job is the choice of that person to do it.
permanent collection
A collection of things is a group of similar things that you have deliberately acquired , usually over a period of time.
permanent residence
Someone's residence in a particular place is the fact that they live there or that they are officially allowed to live there.
Permanent Secretary
the senior civil servant responsible for running a government ministry
permanent settlement
A settlement is a place where people have come to live and have built homes.
permanent structure
A structure is something that has been built.
permanent health insurance
a form of insurance that provides up to 75 per cent of a person's salary , until retirement , in case of prolonged illness or disability
Permanent Court of Arbitration
a tribunal of judges at The Hague , founded in 1899 to provide a panel of arbitrators for international disputes . It also chooses nominees for election by the United Nations to the International Court of Justice
perm
If you have a perm , your hair is curled and treated with chemicals so that it stays curly for several months .