Meaning & use
learner's permit
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
an official document allowing someone to practice driving while supervised before getting a full driver's license
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural: get a learner's permit, have two learner's permits.
Patterns
- get a learner's permit
- have a learner's permit
- apply for a learner's permit
She got her learner's permit on her sixteenth birthday.
You need a learner's permit to practice driving with an adult in the car.
He studied the driver's manual to pass the test for his learner's permit.
Word forms
| plural | learner's permits |
|---|
Common combinations
- get a learner's permit
- I want to get my learner's permit as soon as I turn sixteen.
- apply for a learner's permit
- You can apply for a learner's permit at the DMV.
- learner's permit test
- He passed the learner's permit test on his first try.
- with a learner's permit
- Teenagers with a learner's permit must drive with a licensed adult.
Synonyms and how they differ
- provisional licence
- British term for the same document; use it in the UK.
- instruction permit
- Used in some US states; means the same but is less common.
Word family
- learner noun
- A person who is learning to drive or learn something new.
- permit noun
- An official document that allows you to do something.
Commonly confused: learner's permit or driver's license?
learner's permit vs driver's license
A driver's license is the full license you get after passing the driving test; a learner's permit is only for practice.
Practice
In the US, what must you have before you can practice driving with an adult?
Choose one answer.
A learner's permit is the document that allows supervised driving practice. A driver's license is the full license you get after passing the test, and a passport or car insurance are not driving permits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “learner's permit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.