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:
The U.K. appears poised to allow new oil production in the North Sea—after banning exploratory drilling last year—and is reviewing targets for sales of electric vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Under the redevelopment plans, there will be a new lift and staircase in the conservatory to allow public access to raised balconies.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Published in Nature Communications, the findings suggest that a DNA repair mechanism may allow Greenland sharks to preserve their eyesight for centuries without showing signs of retinal degeneration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
In addition to gaining the new "call-in" powers, mayors are set to be able to grant "up-front permission", which the government says will allow building to begin "without a developer having to apply".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
“But I report back to headquarters, and they’d never allow us to stop in the middle of a job.”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Nearly one in five teens already own a Cash App card, Templeton said, and the company allows users to customize their cards with colors, self-made illustrations and glow-in-the-dark features.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
“That allows you to quickly develop a flavorful crust while keeping the inside moist,” Tsugawa said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
If reservoir levels continue to fall, it allows for larger mandatory water cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet per year in California, Arizona and Nevada — as much as 40% of the combined allotments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
In other words, cells traditionally viewed as obstacles to weight loss may actually become part of the biological machinery that allows GLP-1 therapies to maintain it.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rembrandt’s draftsmanship is so forceful that it allows us to mentally trace the movements of the master’s hand with astonishing vividness.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Public filings, 13Fs of his positions, allowed others to view his precarious situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
New tools in neuroscience have allowed researchers to manipulate the activity of specific neurons in mice brains.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
He wore a microphone in the locker room and allowed me to give readers a behind-the-scenes look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
They were allowed to keep their duke and duchess of Sussex titles, but lost other monarchy privileges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
After that, he went away happy, leaving us happy too, and relieved that Marlene was now officially allowed to stay.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
UCLA’s run defense ranked 18th worst in the nation last season, conceding 190.4 yards per game, while JMU’s unit ranked fifth best, allowing just 85.1 yards per contest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Light travels through the fiber core, allowing information to move rapidly across long distances.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
The more competitive environment will offer a better indication of their fitness, allowing them to sharpen up their footwork and find more rhythm with minutes on a match court.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Federal legislation took effect this year allowing people with health savings accounts to use those tax-advantaged funds to pay for DPC membership fees.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
I want to tell him about Isabella’s mom not allowing her to have a boyfriend or something, but my mouth won’t let me say it.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
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.
