permit
verb OPAL W
/pəˈmɪt/
/pərˈmɪt/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they permit | /pəˈmɪt/ /pərˈmɪt/ |
| he / she / it permits | /pəˈmɪts/ /pərˈmɪts/ |
| past simple permitted | /pəˈmɪtɪd/ /pərˈmɪtɪd/ |
| past participle permitted | /pəˈmɪtɪd/ /pərˈmɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form permitting | /pəˈmɪtɪŋ/ /pərˈmɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, often passive] to allow somebody to do something or to allow something to happen
- be permitted Mobile phones are not permitted in the examination room.
- be permitted something We were not permitted any contact with each other.
- be permitted to do something Visitors are not permitted to take photographs.
- permit something The owners have been unwilling to permit the use of their land.
- There are fines for exceeding permitted levels of noise pollution.
- permit somebody/yourself something Jim permitted himself a wry smile.
- permit somebody/yourself to do something The bill was designed to permit new fathers to take time off work.
- She would not permit herself to look at them.
- (formal) Permit me to offer you some advice.
Express Yourself Forbidding somebody to do somethingForbidding somebody to do somethingWhen speaking to somebody, we usually use indirect language to ask them not to do something:- I'm sorry, smoking isn't allowed./You're not allowed to smoke here.
- Would you mind not talking during the music?
- Could I ask you not to use your phone here, please?
- I'm afraid I have to ask you not to take pictures here.
Extra ExamplesTopics Permission and obligationb2- Development is not normally permitted in conservation areas.
- A new constitution permitted the formation of political parties.
- People are breathing in more than five times the permitted level of pollutants.
- Permit me to make a suggestion.
- The banks were not permitted to invest overseas.
- The rules of the club do not permit it.
- They were permitted to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- legally
- generally
- normally
- …
- refuse to
- be designed to
- [intransitive, transitive] to make something possible
- We hope to visit the cathedral, if time permits.
- I'll come tomorrow, weather permitting (= if the weather is fine).
- permit something The password permits access to all files on the hard disk.
- The length of the report does not permit a detailed discussion of the problems.
- permit somebody/something to do something Cash machines permit you to withdraw money at any time.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- legally
- generally
- normally
- …
- refuse to
- be designed to
Word Originlate Middle English (originally in the sense ‘commit, hand over’): from Latin permittere, from per- ‘through’ + mittere ‘send, let go’.