/ kəˈmɪʃn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
OFFICIAL GROUP
1.
(often Commission ) [ C ] an official group of people who have been given responsibility to control sth, or to find out about sth, usually for the government :
the European Commission
( BrE )
The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison.
a commission on human rights
MONEY
2.
[ U , C ] an amount of money that is paid to sb for selling goods and which increases with the amount of goods that are sold :
You get a 10% commission on everything you sell.
He earned £2 000 in commission last month.
In this job you work on commission (= are paid according to the amount you sell) .
3.
[ U ] an amount of money that is charged by a bank, etc. for providing a particular service :
1% commission is charged for cashing traveller's cheques.
FOR ART / MUSIC, etc.
4.
[ C ] a formal request to sb to design or make a piece of work such as a building or a painting
IN ARMED FORCES
5.
[ C ] an officer's position in the armed forces
OF CRIME
6.
[ U ] ( formal ) the act of doing sth wrong or illegal :
the commission of a crime
•
IDIOMS
- in / out of commission
■ verb
PIECE OF ART / MUSIC, etc.
1.
to officially ask sb to write, make or create sth or to do a task for you :
[ vn to inf ]
She has been commissioned to write a new national anthem.
[ vn ]
Publishers have commissioned a French translation of the book.
IN ARMED FORCES
2.
[ usually passive ] commission sb (as) sth to choose sb as an officer in one of the armed forces :
[ vn ]
She was commissioned in 1992.
[ vn - n ]
He has just been commissioned (as a) pilot officer.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French from Latin commissio(n-) , from committere entrust (in medieval Latin put into custody), from com- with + mittere put or send.