allow

[uh-lou]

verb (used with object)

1. to give permission to or for; permit.

   to allow a student to be absent;

   No swimming allowed.

   Antonyms: prohibit, forbid

2. to let have; give as one's share; grant as one's right.

   to allow a person $100 for expenses.

3. to permit by neglect, oversight, or the like.

   to allow a door to remain open.

4. to admit; acknowledge; concede.

   to allow a claim.

5. to take into consideration, as by adding or subtracting; set apart.

   to allow an hour for changing trains.

6. Older Use.,  to say; think.

7. Archaic.,  to approve; sanction.

verb (used without object)

1. to permit something to happen or to exist; admit (often followed byof ): a premise that allows of only one conclusion.

   to spend more than one's budget allows;

   a premise that allows of only one conclusion.

allow

/ əˈlaʊ /

verb

1. (tr) to permit (to do something); let

2. (tr) to set aside

   five hours were allowed to do the job

3. (tr) to let enter or stay

   they don't allow dogs

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

5. (tr) to let have; grant

   he was allowed few visitors

6. to take into account

   allow for delays

7. to permit; admit

   a question that allows of only one reply

8. dialect,  (tr; may take a clause as object) to assert; maintain

9. archaic,  (tr) to approve; accept

Other Word Forms

• preallow verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of allow¹

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; 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”; ad-, laud

Word History and Origins

Origin of allow¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. allow for, to make concession or provision for.

   to allow for breakage.

Example Sentences

The characters are not afflicted with speechifying; silences allow the viewer to enter into the spaces between them, and to let their experience echo with one’s own.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The stability that traditional power generation provides to the grid has allowed “variability to hide in the closet until now,” he says.

Read more on Barron's

The stability that traditional power generation provides to the grid has allowed “variability to hide in the closet until now,” he says.

Read more on Barron's

The motive is usually money, since homes moved into high-risk zones typically lose value, and developments in high-risk zones are also usually more expensive, if they are allowed at all.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Stewards are then informed they "will be able to submit a one-off absence request", and this "will allow you to register your absence for this specific fixture".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• approve 
• authorize 
• favor 
• oblige 
• recognize 
• release 
• support 
• tolerate 

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.