allow
Americanverb (used with object)
-
allows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allowed,
past participle, past
-
allowing
present participle
-
to give permission to or for; permit.
to allow a student to be absent;
No swimming allowed.
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to let have; give as one's share; grant as one's right.
to allow a person $100 for expenses.
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to permit by neglect, oversight, or the like.
to allow a door to remain open.
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to admit; acknowledge; concede.
to allow a claim.
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to take into consideration, as by adding or subtracting; set apart.
to allow an hour for changing trains.
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Older Use. to say; think.
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Archaic. to approve; sanction.
verb (used without object)
-
allows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allowed,
past participle, past
-
allowing
present participle
idioms
verb
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(tr) to permit (to do something); let
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(tr) to set aside
five hours were allowed to do the job
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(tr) to let enter or stay
they don't allow dogs
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(tr) to acknowledge or concede (a point, claim, etc)
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(tr) to let have; grant
he was allowed few visitors
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to take into account
allow for delays
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to permit; admit
a question that allows of only one reply
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dialect (tr; may take a clause as object) to assert; maintain
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archaic (tr) to approve; accept
Usage
What are other ways to say allow? To allow something is to give permission for it. How is allow different from permit and let? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allowsimple
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allowssimple
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have allowedperfect
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has allowedperfect
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am allowingprogressive
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are allowingprogressive
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is allowingprogressive
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have been allowingperfect progressive
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has been allowingperfect progressive
Past
-
allowedsimple
-
had allowedperfect
-
was allowingprogressive
-
were allowingprogressive
-
had been allowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of allow
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English alowen, from Anglo-French al(l)o(u)er “to place, allot, allow,” Old French aloer “to place,” from Late Latin allocāre; see al-, locus; the older sense “approve, sanction” and Middle English sense “praise” probably by taking the Anglo-French verb as representing Medieval Latin, Latin adlaudāre “to praise”; see ad-, laud
Explanation
If you allow your best friend to read your diary, it means you've given him permission to do it. The verb allow means to let someone do something. You can allow casually, like when you allow your friend to bite off a few pieces from your candy necklace, or more officially, as when a city government decides to allow dogs to be brought into restaurants. Allow can also be used to mean "admit the truth of," so you could say, "Fine, I'll allow that dogs aren't any dirtier than many people, but it's still strange seeing them in restaurants."
Vocabulary lists containing allow
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Workshop 3, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Agents such as Artex allow users to select AI models such as Anthropic’s Opus, OpenAI’s GPT and China’s DeepSeek.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The wedge-shaped footprint, built to the maximum allowable area, features a ground-level studio with 16-foot-high ceilings, clerestory windows and an overhead skylight to allow for natural light.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
But occasionally circumstances align to allow that to happen again.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The time has come to break that family pattern, and allow the chips to fall where they may.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Simon held on to his hat and said, “Miss Lumley, allow me to present Madame Ionesco. Prognosticator extraordinaire. Although I think you’ve met once before.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
“It allows the actors to feel things out in order to perfect the timing and preserve energy for the show,” says Jennens, who is on her first national tour with the production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
That multidimensional way of thinking allows them to set aside immediate rewards—such as watching videos or playing videogames—in favor of doing homework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Maybe a loan move in January would make sense for him, if his club allows him to go.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
That allows them to spend at levels that keep the economy growing and out of recession.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
They enlist the help of a friendly American sergeant, who allows them to slip away.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Carl Walker, from Jersey Consumer Council, said credit card companies would need to be reminded of the change which had allowed more information to be shared.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Your husband, whether unwittingly or not, has allowed his own judgment to be clouded by the inheritance issue.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
That’s well above the maximum sugar content allowed for a “sugar-free” drink under the FDA’s regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The spokesperson did not comment on whether this specific proposal violated city rules but noted that documented proposals require a professional photography permit and said that proposals that include set-ups and structures are not allowed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Gingersnipes had been eaten, and still the Afterlife had allowed her to be so whole?
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The entrance to the loft space is flanked by colorful, translucent plastic strips, allowing light and people to easily pass through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The shipment went through a freight hub at East Midlands Airport on the way, allowing NCA and Border Force to intercept on Friday.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
He seemed open to allowing at least some of the lawsuits to proceed, though he indicated there may be further questions about which states’ laws apply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday allowing Italy's UniCredit bank to sell part of its Russian business, paving the way for it to draw down its presence in the country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Soon, a fairly wide trail opened, allowing him to quicken his pace.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
