out of commission

out of commission
Commission Com*mis"sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster]

Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. --South. [1913 Webster]

2. The act of intrusting; a charge; instructions as to how a trust shall be executed. [1913 Webster]

3. The duty or employment intrusted to any person or persons; a trust; a charge. [1913 Webster]

4. A formal written warrant or authority, granting certain powers or privileges and authorizing or commanding the performance of certain duties. [1913 Webster]

Let him see our commission. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. A certificate conferring military or naval rank and authority; as, a colonel's commission. [1913 Webster]

6. A company of persons joined in the performance of some duty or the execution of some trust; as, the interstate commerce commission. [1913 Webster]

A commission was at once appointed to examine into the matter. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]

7. (Com.) (a) The acting under authority of, or on account of, another. (b) The thing to be done as agent for another; as, I have three commissions for the city. (c) The brokerage or allowance made to a factor or agent for transacting business for another; as, a commission of ten per cent on sales. See {Del credere}. [1913 Webster]

{Commission of array}. (Eng. Hist.) See under {Array}.

{Commission of bankruptcy}, a commission appointing and empowering certain persons to examine into the facts relative to an alleged bankruptcy, and to secure the bankrupt's lands and effects for the creditors.

{Commission of lunacy}, a commission authorizing an inquiry whether a person is a lunatic or not.

{Commission merchant}, one who buys or sells goods on commission, as the agent of others, receiving a rate per cent as his compensation.

{Commission officer} or {Commissioned officer}, (Mil.), one who has a commission, in distinction from a noncommissioned or warrant officer.

{Commission of the peace}, a commission under the great seal, constituting one or more persons justices of the peace. [Eng.]

{on commission}, paid partly or completely by collecting as a commision a portion of the sales that one makes.

{out of commission}, not operating properly; out of order.

{To put a vessel into commission} (Naut.), to equip and man a government vessel, and send it out on service after it has been laid up; esp., the formal act of taking command of a vessel for service, hoisting the flag, reading the orders, etc.

{To put a vessel out of commission} (Naut.), to detach the officers and crew and retire it from active service, temporarily or permanently.

{To put the great seal into commission} or {To put the Treasury into commission}, to place it in the hands of a commissioner or commissioners during the abeyance of the ordinary administration, as between the going out of one lord keeper and the accession of another. [Eng.]

{The United States Christian Commission}, an organization among the people of the North, during the Civil War, which afforded material comforts to the Union soldiers, and performed services of a religious character in the field and in hospitals.

{The United States Sanitary Commission}, an organization formed by the people of the North to co["o]perate with and supplement the medical department of the Union armies during the Civil War.

Syn: Charge; warrant; authority; mandate; office; trust; employment. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • out of commission — {adj. phr.} 1. Retired from active military service; no longer on active duty. * /When the war was over, many warships were placed out of commission./ Contrast: IN COMMISSION(1). 2. Not in use or not working; so that it cannot work or be used. *… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • out of commission — {adj. phr.} 1. Retired from active military service; no longer on active duty. * /When the war was over, many warships were placed out of commission./ Contrast: IN COMMISSION(1). 2. Not in use or not working; so that it cannot work or be used. *… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • out of commission — ► broken or not available to be used: put sth/take sth out of commission »In Port Arthur, three major refineries were taken out of commission by power failures. → See also DECOMMISSION(Cf. ↑decommission), EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY… …   Financial and business terms

  • out of commission — NOT IN SERVICE, not in use, unserviceable; not working, inoperative, out of order; down. → commission * * * not in service; not in working order ■ (of a person) unable to work or function normally, esp. through illness or injury * * * out of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • out\ of\ commission — adj. phr. 1. Retired from active military service; no longer on active duty. When the war was over, many warships were placed out of commission. Contrast: in commission(1) 2. Not in use or not working; so that it cannot work or be used. The… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • out of commission — 1. broken or not working. The explosion put the engine out of commission. 2. not able to do the usual things. After her knee surgery, she was out of commission for about eight weeks. Usage notes: used to refer to a person who is ill or injured …   New idioms dictionary

  • out of commission — adjective Not operational or not functioning properly. One pair of handcuffs will put both hands out of commission. Syn: broken, out of order, out of service …   Wiktionary

  • out of commission — ► in (or out of) commission in (or not in) use or working order. Main Entry: ↑commission …   English terms dictionary

  • out of commission — not operating, out of order    My brain is out of commission. I can t think today …   English idioms

  • out of commission — more than half of our original computers are out of commission Syn: not in service, not in use, unserviceable; not working, inoperative, out of order, malfunctioning, broken, down …   Thesaurus of popular words

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