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marriage license

marriage license

24 2.8
An official paper from the government that allows two people to marry
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛrɪdʒ ˈlaɪsəns/
  • Formal
translation icon : licencia de matrimonio
  • To get married, you need to apply for a marriage license at the local government office.
  • issue marriage licenses
  • marriage licenses for same-sex couples
  • marriage licenses for couples

If you went to get a marriage license, you you were denied.

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Examples

  • Both parties must be present to obtain a marriage license in person.

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  • I suppose we should go straight and get the marriage license, my dear.

  • And on the application, it says where you want the marriage license to be sent to.

  • Oh, we're getting our application for our marriage license.

  • Do you have a marriage license?

  • Okay, first you have to get your marriage license, so you have to fill these out.

  • A Washington State marriage license can only be used to get married within the state.

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  • Under no circumstances may a person apply for a marriage license before they are divorced.

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  • Simply applying for and obtaining a marriage license does not make you married.

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  • This mornin' after the parade, he dragged me down to the city hall and bought us a marriage license.

Synonyms

wedding license
vsmarriage license
  • Formal
1 2.6

An official paper that allows two people to marry

has the same legal meaning but is a different common term or phrasing

How Official

decree
  • Formal
80 5.7
marriage license
  • Formal
24 2.8
permit
262 2.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

marriage + license

The meaning is directly compositional: 'marriage' names the union and 'license' denotes official permission, so together they denote official permission to marry. This noun+noun pattern and the concept of an official document are cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Marriage license joins marriage and license, where license means a written 'permission' from an official. In the past, a church or court could give a 'license' so a couple could marry without the usual public announcements, so today marriage license is the official document that legally allows a wedding.