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British

allow

[ uh-lou ]

/ əˈlaʊ /

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See synonyms for: allow / allowed / allowing / allows 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.

OPPOSITES FOR allow

1 forbid, prohibit.

See antonyms for allow on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR ALLOW

What Is The Origin Of The Word Allow?

Allow is an incredibly old word, but doesn’t it make you feel young again when you hear it? Why?

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QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

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Idioms about allow

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

Origin of allow

1250–1300; Middle English alowen<Anglo-French al(l)o(u)er to place, allot, allow, Old French aloer to place <Late Latin allocāre;see al-, locus; the older sense “approve, sanction” and Middle English sense “praise” probably by taking the Anglo-French v. as representing Medieval Latin, Latin adlaudāre to praise; see ad-, laud

OTHER WORDS FROM allow

pre·al·low, verb (used with object)

Words nearby allow

all over but the shouting, all over one, all-overs, all over the place, all over with, allow, allowable, allowable cut, allowance, allowance race, Alloway

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

WHEN TO USE

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.

How to use allow in a sentence

At the beginning of the pandemic, the FDA took the unprecedented step of allowing companies like Legere’s to distribute antibody tests that were not authorized by the agency.
The COVID-19 Charmer: How a Self-Described Felon Convinced Elected Officials to Try to Help Him Profit From the Pandemic|by Vianna Davila, Jeremy Schwartz and Lexi Churchill|September 25, 2020|ProPublica
The environmental group has also called on the administration to tighten the 2019 regulations on surface expressions, which explicitly allowed steam fracking.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Says California Is Cracking Down on Oil Spills. But Our Reporting Shows Many Are Still Flowing.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun|September 24, 2020|ProPublica
Memphis Rox also offers a pay-what-you-can cost structure that allows participants to offset normal gym fees with volunteer hours at the gym or a local charity.
How Outdoor Companies Can Back Up Their DEI Pledges|Kai Lightner|September 23, 2020|Outside Online
For the more ambitious, backpacking in the dunes and nearby mountains is also allowed—but by permit only.
I Tried to Climb the Largest Sand Dune in North America|Emily Pennington|September 22, 2020|Outside Online

As one former employee put it, “they were HUGE cash cows” that allowed the network to lower costs paid to outside companies.
He Wanted to Fix Rural America’s Broken Nursing Homes. Now, Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for $76 Million.|by Max Blau for Georgia Health News|September 22, 2020|ProPublica
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|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|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|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|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|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 asidefive hours were allowed to do the job

(tr) to let enter or staythey don't allow dogs

(tr) to acknowledge or concede (a point, claim, etc)

(tr) to let have; granthe was allowed few visitors

(intr foll by for) to take into accountallow for delays

(intr often foll by of) to permit; admita question that allows of only one reply

(tr; may take a clause as object) US dialect to assert; maintain

(tr) archaic to approve; accept

Word Origin for 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