unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed ˌən-ˈlī-sᵊn(t)st 

: not licensed: such as

a

: not authorized or permitted by a license

unlicensed merchandise

an unlicensed firearm

the unlicensed reproduction of books

b

: operating without a license

unlicensed vendors

an unlicensed electrician

unlicensed brokers

unlicensed drivers

Examples of unlicensed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The new law will prevent the state from placing children in unlicensed homes like shelters, hotels or offices. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026

Speeders doing 60 in a 30 zone, people who cause accidents and unlicensed and uninsured drivers, especially non-English-speaking aliens. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026

Hundreds of community radio stations in Indonesia (many unlicensed) provided crucial information after the 2004 tsunami disaster. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026

Gbollie was charged with misdemeanors last year for allegedly attacking the permit inspector, damaging his car, and blocking the vehicle in during a dispute about Gbollie’s unlicensed food stand on the 1700 block of Broadway, court records show. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unlicensed

• licenced
• licensed

Medical Definition

unlicensed

adjective

un·​li·​censed

variants or chiefly British unlicenced

-ˈlīs-ᵊn(t)st

: not licensed

especially, of a drug : not approved for use by the appropriate regulating authority (as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States)