Commission Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
Britannica Dictionary definition of COMMISSION
1
[count]
:
a group of people who have been given the official job of finding information about something or controlling something
:
-
She served on the city's water commission.
-
the Federal Elections Commission
-
Both states set up commissions to examine their public schools.
2
:
an amount of money paid to an employee for selling something
[count]
-
She gets a commission for each car she sells.
[noncount]
-
She sells cars on commission. [=she receives an amount of money for each car that she sells]
-
The salespeople in that store all work on commission.
3
[noncount]
formal
:
the act of committing a crime
-
a weapon used in the commission of a crime
4
:
a request or order for someone to do something for money
[count]
-
He received a commission from the king to paint the queen's portrait.
[noncount]
-
an artist working on commission [=an artist doing work that has been specifically requested or ordered]
5
[count]
:
a position of high rank in the military
-
He received his commission in the Army as a colonel.
in commission
or
into commission
:
able to function properly
:
ready for use
-
The Internet connection is back in commission. [=is working again]
out of commission
:
not able to function properly
-
The elevator/doorbell was out of commission. [=broken, out of order]
— often used figuratively
-
He was out of commission [=unable to work, travel, etc.] for three days with the flu.
Britannica Dictionary definition of COMMISSION
[+ object]
1
a
:
to order or request (something) to be made or done
-
A portrait of the queen was commissioned.
-
The magazine commissioned a story about the world's best beaches.
-
The report on poverty was commissioned by the governor.
b
:
to order or request (someone) to make or do something
-
The king commissioned the artist to paint his portrait.
2
:
to make (someone) an officer in the military
-
She was commissioned in the Navy as a captain.
3
:
to make (a ship) officially active and ready for use
-
The ship was commissioned in 2004.
— opposite decommission
-
The ship remained a commissioned ship for more than 30 years. [=the ship was officially in use for more than 30 years]
-
a commissioned officer [=a military officer of high rank; an officer whose rank is higher than sergeant]