"when liberty becomes license dictatorship is near"
"the intolerable license with which the newspapers break...the rules of decorum"
"I am licensed to practice law in this state"
1.执照; 证书; 许可证
Alicence is an official document which gives you permission to do, use, or own something.
e.g. Payne lost his drivinglicence a year ago for drink-driving...
佩恩一年前因为酒后驾驶而被吊销了执照。
e.g. The painting was returned to Spain on a temporary importlicence...
这幅画凭着临时进口许可证被送回了西班牙。
2.放纵;放肆;无法无天
If you say that something gives someonelicence ora licence to act in a particular way, you mean that it gives them an excuse to behave in an irresponsible or excessive way.
e.g. The ANC claimed the curfew gavelicence to the police to hunt people as if they were animals...
非国大声称宵禁使得警察肆无忌惮地把人们当动物来抓捕。
e.g. 'Dropping the charges has given racists alicence to kill,' said Jim's aunt.
“撤销指控等于是放纵种族主义者去杀人,”吉姆的阿姨说。
3. see also: poetic licence
4.暴利的;一本万利的
If you describe a commercial activity asa licence to print money, you mean that it allows people to gain a lot of money with little effort or responsibility.
e.g. Running a television company may no longer be alicence to print money, but it is still highly rewarding.
经营电视公司也许不再是一本万利,但利润依然非常丰厚。
5.得到(政府或其他权威机构的)许可(做某事)
If someone does somethingunder licence, they do it by special permission from a government or other authority.
e.g. ...a company which made the Mig-21 jet fighter underlicence from Russia.
获俄罗斯授权制造米格–21喷气式战斗机的公司