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
-
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:
However, the large number of fossils from Drimolen, some of which are published in this paper, allow an unprecedented insight into the micro-evolutionary changes that shaped human ancestors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
At that point Ceferin, who was initially elected in 2016, was embroiled in a row over Uefa changing its statutes to allow him to serve for a fourth term.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
But the traditional exchanges like Xetra and LSE have strict inclusion rules, particularly at the clearing house, as to what they will allow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Uprates also allow companies to recognize the benefits of their deals quickly because they’re “not waiting for a new build,” according to Sorbara.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Then they made an unwelcome discovery: the two valves that needed to be open to allow cooled water to flow from the isolation condenser back into the reactor of unit 1 were closed.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Companies are using ContentForge to create a digital footprint that allows their products to be picked up and suggested by large language models, Medeiros said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The definition allows teams to fit cooling devices to their cars that pump liquid through a vest worn by the driver to manage temperatures in the cockpit.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
In some cases, that disruption allows potentially dangerous species to gain an advantage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Tokenized stocks are gaining popularity because blockchain technology allows them to be traded 24/7, a feature already familiar to crypto investors but previously untapped in most traditional markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
From down the hall, Muqtada moves forward as fast as he allows himself to, which isn’t very fast, sort of like a speed walk, and hands me the record.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
They are also allowed to see their children while in detention, upon written request, whether that’s in person or over a video or phone call.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
"This is ironic, because the only reason they were allowed to come in the first place is due to Islamic solidarity," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
He then stole second base, drawing an errant throw that allowed him to advance to third.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In August 2025, the Manhattan District Court ruled that the 9/11 families had presented enough evidence to meet the terms of the act and the case was allowed to proceed towards a trial.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Visitors weren’t allowed on the burial grounds at this hour, yet this particular woman’s request to enter was granted.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Cartilage begins to break down faster than it can be replaced, eventually allowing bones to rub against one another.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
But James Chin, a Malaysia expert at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said the nation was now dealing with popular backlash against "allowing too many Rohingya to come".
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
At the time OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman wrote on X that allowing independent evaluators internal access “is a great idea, and we will do the same.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Klein remembers that the actors recorded in the same room together, allowing them to interact more naturally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Rondon’s gifts of metal tools were a persuasive means of communication, allowing him to forge a fragile friendship.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
