commission

noun

• 1an instruction, command, or role given to a person or group:one of his first commissions was to redesign the Great Exhibition building [with infinitive]:he received a commission to act as an informer
• an order for something, especially a work of art, to be produced specially: Mozart at last received a commission to write an opera
• a work produced in response to a commission: in that year Zeuxis painted his most famous commission
• [mass noun] archaic the authority to perform a task or certain duties:the divine Commission of Christ

• 2a group of people entrusted by a government or other official body with authority to do something:a commission was appointed to investigate allegations of police violence

• 3a sum, typically a set percentage of the value involved, paid to an agent in a commercial transaction:foreign banks may charge a commission he sold cosmetics on commission

• 4a warrant conferring the rank of officer in an army, navy, or air force: he has resigned his commission she intended to apply for a commission in the army

• 5 [mass noun] the action of committing a crime or offence: the commission of an arrestable offence the errors are of omission rather than commission

verb

• 1order or authorize the production of (something):the portrait was commissioned by his widow in 1792
• [with object and infinitive] order or authorize (a person or organization) to do or produce something:they commissioned an architect to manage the building project he was commissioned to do a series of drawings

• 2bring (something newly produced) into working condition:we had a few hiccups getting the heating equipment commissioned the aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1945

• 3appoint (someone) to the rank of officer in an army, navy, or air force:he was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers (as adjective commissioned)a commissioned officer