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commission definition

com·mis·sion (kə mis̸h′ən)

noun

    1. an authorization to perform certain duties or tasks, or to take on certain powers
    2. a document giving such authorization
  2. authority to act in behalf of another
  3. that which a person is authorized to do for another
  4. the state of being authorized to perform certain duties or tasks
  5. an entrusting, as of power and authority, to a person or body
  6. the act of committing or doing; perpetration, as of a crime
    1. a group of people officially appointed to perform specified duties
    2. an administrative agency of the government with quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative powers
    3. a type of municipal governing body
  8. a fee or a percentage of the proceeds paid to a salesperson, broker, etc., either in addition to, or in lieu of, wages or salary
  9. Mil.
    1. an official certificate conferring rank; specif., a document issued by the government, making one a commissioned officer in the U.S. armed forces
    2. the rank or authority conferred

Etymology: ME & OFr < ML commissio, delegation of business (in L, a bringing together in a contest) < L commissus, pp. of committere: see commit

transitive verb

  1. to give a commission to
  2. to give power or authority to; authorize
  3. to give an order for (a thing to be made or done)
  4. to put (a vessel) into service
commission Idioms

in commission

  1. entrusted to commissioners
  2. in use
  3. in fit condition for use

out of commission

  1. not in use
  2. not in fit condition for use

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business commission definition - business

idioms commission idiom

law commission definition - legal

commission Synonyms

commission

n.

  1. The act of committing

    delegation, empowering, charging, sending, deputizing, deputation, authorizing, assignment, entrusting, commitment, committing, perpetration, performance, handing over, making over, authorization, engagement, employment, contracting, nomination, appointment, ordaining, ordination, accrediting, investiture, constitution, inauguration, coronation.

  2. An authorization

    order, license, command, charge; see mandate, permission.

  3. A duty

    work, function, obligation, assignment; see duty 2, job 2.

  4. A committee

    commissioners, representatives, board, council; see committee.

  5. A payment

    fee, percentage, remuneration, royalty, salary, stipend, share, portion, cut*, rake-off*; see also pay 2, payment 1.

out of commission

damaged, not working, out of order, disabled; see broken 2.


commission

v.

authorize, appoint, charge, delegate, deputize, empower, accredit, license, order, contract for, requisition, request, send, depute, constitute, ordain, commit, entrust, give in charge, dispatch, consign, assign, entrust with a mission, charge with an errand, confide to, engage, employ, invest, name, nominate, hire, bespeak, enable, command, elect, select; see also approve 1.

to commission a person is to authorize as well as instruct to perform a certain duty, as the execution of an artistic work, or to appoint to a certain rank or office; authorize implies the giving of power or the right to act, ranging in application from a specific legal power to discretionary powers in dealings of any kind; to accredit, in this comparison, implies the sending of a person, duly authorized and with the proper credentials, as an ambassador, delegate, etc.; license implies the giving of formal legal permission to do some specified thing and often emphasizes regulation to license hunters


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

commission Usage Examples

Object

  • editor: Content owners and producers sell directly to digital consumers who needs commissioning editors?

Converse of object

  • uncap: Salary for this position will be 18-22K + uncapped commission.

Preposition: as

  • ensign: In 1906, Fletcher graduated from the US Naval Academy and he gained a commission as an ensign.

Adjective modifier

  • electoral: Now, changes recommended by the electoral commission mean his ward will lose at least 600 electors, most of them Protestants.

Noun used with modifier

  • gambling: I return to the nature of the gambling commission.

Preposition: of

  • offense: The rehabilitation period may, for example, be extended by the commission of a further offense during the rehabilitation period.

Preposition: for

  • equality: The Commission For racial Equality 1 ) What is the Commission for Racial Equality?
commission usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

commission quotes

What argufies pride and ambition? Soon or late death will take us in tow: Each bullet has got its commission, And when our time's come we must go.

-Diaz, Porfirio

  Iherebycommissionyouto carryout all thepreparations withregardto†atotal solutionoftheJewishquestion, in those territories of Europe that are under German influence.

-Goering, HermannWilhelm

commission quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"commission." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/commission>

APA Style

commission. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/commission

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