allow
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have allowedperfect
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has allowedperfect 3rd person singular
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are allowingprogressive
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has been allowingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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allowssingular 3rd person
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am allowingprogressive 1st person singular
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is allowingprogressive 3rd person singular
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allowingparticiple
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have been allowingperfect progressive
Past
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had allowedperfect
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were allowingprogressive plural
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was allowingprogressive singular
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had been allowingperfect progressive
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allowedparticiple
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allowedsimple
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.
This could allow certain subject specialist teachers to be shared across schools, while pupils from multiple schools join the class from home.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
“Thankfully, tax laws allow for deductions for Ponzi scheme victims,” Wu said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
It has released new AI features that allow users to improve their writing, translate text, summarize messages and create images.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
App makers are anticipating new tools to allow Siri to open up their apps and complete tasks, ushering iPhone users into the era of “agentic” AI, where smart assistants take actions for them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“I wish I could go home, but your father would never allow it,” said Roz.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
