allow

[ uh-lou ]

See synonyms for allow on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to give permission to or for; permit: to allow a student to be absent;No swimming allowed.
to let have; give as one's share; grant as one's right: to allow a person $100 for expenses.

to permit by neglect, oversight, or the like: to allow a door to remain open.
to admit; acknowledge; concede: to allow a claim.
to take into consideration, as by adding or subtracting; set apart: to allow an hour for changing trains.
Older Use. to say; think.
Archaic. to approve; sanction.

verb (used without object)

to permit something to happen or to exist; admit (often followed by of): to spend more than one's budget allows;a premise that allows of only one conclusion.

Idioms about allow

allow for, to make concession or provision for: to allow for breakage.

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

Opposites for allow

1	forbid, prohibit

See antonyms for allow on Thesaurus.com

Other words from allow

pre·al·low, verb (used with object)

Words Nearby allow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use allow in a sentence

This week, Florida became the 36th state to allow same-sex marriage.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails | Jackie Kucinich | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
First, they allow Paul to siphon off attention from whichever potential candidate is making news.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign | Olivia Nuzzi | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
By contrast, a gun will allow a pilot to attack hostile forces that are less than 300 feet from friendly ground forces.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dates to soften, about 15 minutes.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding | Carla Hall | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
allow beans to cool completely then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole | Carla Hall | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

This treacherous sort of calm, we thought, might forbode a storm, and we did not allow it to lull us into security.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
I cannot believe that a good God would create or tolerate a Devil, nor that he would allow the Devil to tempt man.
God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
I allow we shan't never set eyes on ter her, Jos. I've got jest thet feelin' abaout it.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
It would not do to allow his son to do anything that would upset his dignity, though he loved him very much indeed.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
I never see sech hosses; 'n' they're jest like kittens; they've ben drefful pets, I allow.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for allow

allow

/ (əˈlaʊ) /

verb

(tr) to permit (to do something); let
(tr) to set aside: five hours were allowed to do the job

(tr) to let enter or stay: they don't allow dogs
(tr) to acknowledge or concede (a point, claim, etc)
(tr) to let have; grant: he was allowed few visitors
(intr foll by for) to take into account: allow for delays
(intr often foll by of) to permit; admit: a question that allows of only one reply
(tr; may take a clause as object) US dialect to assert; maintain
(tr) archaic to approve; accept

Origin of allow

C14: from Old French alouer, from Late Latin allaudāre to extol, influenced by Medieval Latin allocāre to assign, allocate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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