What does permitting mean?
Permitting means allowing or authorizing something rather than preventing it. In its most common use, it is the present participle of permit: a person or body permits an action, and the action is thereby allowed to proceed. The word can be used directly with an object, as in “permitting access to the records,” or after an auxiliary verb, as in “the council is permitting a public hearing.” In more formal and economic contexts, permitting can describe conditions favorable to an activity, as in “a permitting market.” Although its meaning is close to allowing, permitting often conveys a more deliberate or official act of authorization. It can also suggest tolerance, especially when used in phrases such as “permitting waste” or “not permitting interference.” The word is common in both British and American English and is especially frequent in legal, administrative, financial, and policy writing.
As the present participle of permit, permitting means allowing or authorizing an action.
"The agreement permits tenants to make minor alterations."
Often used with an auxiliary such as is, are, was, or were: “The rules are permitting greater flexibility.”
Permitting means favorable to, permissive of, or allowing a particular activity.
"The country remained a permitting environment for foreign investment."
This attributive use is formal and is especially associated with legal, political, and economic prose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does permitting come from?
The word derives from Middle English permit, borrowed through Old French permettre from Latin permittere, “to allow,” formed from the prefix per- and mittere, “to send.” The Latin verb originally conveyed the idea of allowing something to pass or go forward. Permitting is the later English grammatical form expressing continuing or accompanying action, alongside related forms such as permission and permissive.
Related word forms
How permitting is actually used
When used after a form of the auxiliary verb be, as in “she is permitting,” it functions as a present participle. In legal, economic, and formal prose, it may also be used attributively to describe conditions that allow or favor an activity.
Easily confused with permitting
Permitting describes the act of allowing something, whereas permissive describes a lenient attitude, policy, or set of conditions.