disallow
Americanverb (used with object)
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to refuse to allow; reject; veto.
to disallow a claim for compensation.
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to refuse to admit the truth or validity of.
to disallow the veracity of a report.
verb
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to reject as untrue or invalid
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to cancel
Other Word Forms
- disallowable adjective
- disallowableness noun
- disallowance noun
Etymology
Origin of disallow
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old French word desallouer. See dis- 1, allow
Explanation
When you disallow something, you prohibit it. Teachers usually disallow cell phones in their classrooms. You're most likely to come across the verb disallow in official or formal contexts, like a list of rules in a courtroom or within the wording of a law. Referees often disallow certain actions in sports matches, and prison wardens disallow many kinds of behavior by prisoners. The word comes from allow, with its root allouen, "to praise, approve of, or be pleased with," with the Latin prefix dis in front, here meaning "do the opposite of."
Vocabulary lists containing disallow
Power Prefix: dis-
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"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning
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dis-
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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.
"I don't see, with the VAR, how you can disallow that goal. That's a shame to be honest. It is what it is and it's nothing we can control."
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
The existing players in cybersecurity provide businesses with complex firewalls: software that identifies customers’ internal users of data, and tools that allow or disallow access to information for parties external to the customer.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
Nineteen seconds is a long time to go back to disallow a goal in the Premier League.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
The VAR, Jarred Gillett, sent Pawson to the monitor to disallow the goal.
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
The motion sought to disallow the testimony of David Strayer, the professor at the University of Utah, who is expert in distracted driving.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
