allowance

American  

[uh-lou-uhns] / əˈlaʊ əns /

noun

1. the act of allowing.

2. an amount or share allotted or granted.

   Synonyms:

   allotment

3. a sum of money allotted or granted for a particular purpose, as for expenses.

   Her allowance for the business trip was $200.

4. a sum of money allotted or granted to a person on a regular basis, as for personal or general living expenses.

   The art student lived on an allowance of $600 a month.

   When I was in first grade, my parents gave me an allowance of seven dollars a week.

   Synonyms:

   stipend

5. an addition or deduction based on an extenuating or qualifying circumstance.

   an allowance for profit;

   an allowance for depreciation.

6. acknowledgment; concession.

   the allowance of a claim.

7. passive permission resulting from lack of interference; toleration.

   the allowance of slavery.

   Synonyms:

   sufferance, permission, acceptance

   Antonyms:

   proscription, prohibition, interdiction

8. Machinery. a prescribed difference in dimensions of two closely fitting mating parts with regard to minimum clearance or maximum interference.

9. Coining. tolerance.

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verb (used with object)

allowanced, allowancing

1. to place on a fixed allowance, as of food or drink.

2. to allocate (supplies, rations, etc.) in fixed or regular amounts.

idioms

1. make allowance / allowances (for),

   1. to take mitigating factors or circumstances into consideration.

   2. to pardon; excuse.

   3. to reserve time, money, etc.; allow for.

      Make allowance for souvenirs on the return trip.

allowance British  

/ əˈlaʊəns /

noun

1. an amount of something, esp money or food, given or allotted usually at regular intervals

2. a discount, as in consideration for something given in part exchange or to increase business; rebate

3. (in Britain) an amount of a person's income that is not subject to a particular tax and is therefore deducted before his or her liability to taxation is assessed

4. a portion set aside to compensate for something or to cover special expenses

5. education a salary supplement given to a teacher who is appointed to undertake extra duties and responsibilities

6. admission; concession

7. the act of allowing; sanction; toleration

8. something allowed

9. (usually foll by for)

   1. to take mitigating circumstances into account in consideration (of)

   2. to allow (for)

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verb

1. (tr) to supply (something) in limited amounts

allowance More Idioms  

1. see make allowance.

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Other Word Forms

• preallowance noun
• superallowance noun

Etymology

Origin of allowance

1350–1400; Middle English alouance < Middle French. See allow, -ance

Explanation

When you're a kid, you might earn an allowance or a sum of money in exchange for doing chores around the house. Your parents' allowance — or tolerance — of your silly behavior will depend on how strict they are. An allowance is a quantity of something that's allowed or permitted within a set of rules or for a particular purpose. This could be a weekly allowance you earn as a kid, or it could be the allowance for passengers on a flight to have two carry-on items. To make allowances for someone means to treat someone leniently, or to give them a break.

Example Sentences

Paul Cézanne had an allowance that allowed him to paint, while Theo van Gogh helped to support his brother Vincent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Motability enables disabled people who have issues getting around to exchange their higher-rate mobility allowance for a new car.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Michelle said the Welsh government needed to put pressure on the UK government, which makes decisions on the carer's allowance, to help support people in Wales.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Your father made sure you earned your allowance, and you got your first sense of what it was like to contribute to the household and — critically — be a stakeholder.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Mom and Dad paid the adoption fees, and I agreed to use my allowance and do extra chores around the house to pay for the dog license and extras.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Related Words

• aid
• alimony
• allocation
• allotment
• annuity
• contribution
• fee
• gift
• grant
• pension
• quota
• ration
• salary
• scholarship
• stipend
• subsidy
• wage