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¹commission

noun com·mis·sion \kə-ˈmi-shən\

: a group of people who have been given the official job of finding information about something or controlling something

: an amount of money paid to an employee for selling something

: the act of committing a crime

Full Definition of COMMISSION

a : a formal written warrant granting the power to perform various acts or duties

b : a certificate conferring military rank and authority; also : the rank and authority so conferred

: an authorization or command to act in a prescribed manner or to perform prescribed acts : charge

a : authority to act for, in behalf of, or in place of another

b : a task or matter entrusted to one as an agent for another

a : a group of persons directed to perform some duty

b : a government agency having administrative, legislative, or judicial powers

c : a city council having legislative and executive functions

: an act of committing something <commission of a crime>

: a fee paid to an agent or employee for transacting a piece of business or performing a service; especially : a percentage of the money received from a total paid to the agent responsible for the business

: an act of entrusting or giving authority

— in commission or into commission

: under the authority of commissioners

of a ship : ready for active service

: in use or in condition for use

— on commission

: with commission serving as partial or full pay for work done

— out of commission

: out of active service or use

: out of working order

See commission defined for English-language learners

See commission defined for kids

Origin of COMMISSION

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin commission-, commissio act of bringing together, from committere

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to COMMISSION

Synonyms: accreditation, authorization, delegation, empowerment, license (or licence), mandate

Antonyms: nonfulfillment, nonperformance

Rhymes with COMMISSION

addition, admission, ambition, attrition, audition, beautician, clinician, cognition, coition, condition, contrition, demission, dentition, dismission, Domitian, edition, emission, ethician, fruition, ignition, Kittitian, lenition, logician, magician, Mauritian, monition, mortician, munition, musician, nutrition, omission, optician, partition, patrician, perdition, permission, petition, Phoenician, physician, Politian, position, punition, remission, rendition, sedition, submission, suspicion, tactician, technician, tradition, transition, transmission, tuition, volition

²commission

verb

: to order or request (something) to be made or done

: to order or request (someone) to make or do something

: to make (someone) an officer in the military

commis·sionedcommis·sion·ing \-ˈmi-sh(ə-)niŋ\

Full Definition of COMMISSION

transitive verb

: to furnish with a commission: as

a : to confer a formal commission on <was commissioned lieutenant>

b : to appoint or assign to a task or function <was commissioned to do the biography>

: to order to be made <commissioned a portrait>

: to put (a ship) in commission

See commission defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of COMMISSION

circa 1661

Related to COMMISSION

Synonyms: delegate, depute, deputize

Antonyms: disqualify

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with COMMISSION

ambition, audition, condition, munition, partition, patrician, petition, Phoenician, position, suspicion, transition

COMMISSION Defined for Kids

¹commission

noun com·mis·sion \kə-ˈmi-shən\

Definition of COMMISSION for Kids

: an order granting the power to perform various acts or duties : the right or duty to be performed

: a certificate that gives military or naval rank and authority : the rank and authority given <He received his commission in the army as a captain.>

: authority to act as agent for another : a task or piece of business entrusted to an agent

: a group of persons given orders and authority to perform specified duties <a housing commission>

: an act of doing something wrong <the commission of a crime>

: a fee paid to an agent for taking care of a piece of business