allow
Use Allow in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to give permission to or for; permit: to allow a student to be absent; No swimming allowed.
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.
verb (used without object)
8.
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.
00:10
Allow
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
9.
allow for, to make concession or provision for: to allow for breakage.
Origin:
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
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
Related forms
pre·al·low, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
1. Allow, let, permit imply granting or conceding the right of someone to do something. Allow and permit are often interchangeable, but permit is the more positive. Allow implies complete absence of an attempt, or even an intent, to hinder. Permit suggests formal or implied assent or authorization. Let is the familiar, conversational term for both allow and permit.
1. Allow, let, permit imply granting or conceding the right of someone to do something. Allow and permit are often interchangeable, but permit is the more positive. Allow implies complete absence of an attempt, or even an intent, to hinder. Permit suggests formal or implied assent or authorization. Let is the familiar, conversational term for both allow and permit.
Antonyms
1. forbid, prohibit.
1. forbid, prohibit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To allow
Collins
World English Dictionary
allow (əˈlaʊ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (foll by for) (often foll by of) | |
| 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 (US) (tr; may take a clause as object) to assert; maintain |
| 9. | archaic (tr) to approve; accept |
| [C14: from Old French alouer, from Late Latin allaudāre to extol, influenced by Medieval Latin allocāre to assign, | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
allow
c.1300, from O.Fr. alouer "approve," from L. allaudare, compound of ad- "to" + laudare "to praise," confused and merged in O.Fr. with alouer "assign," from L. allocare (see allocate). From the first word came the sense "permission based on approval," from the second the
meaning preserved in allowance.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
But sometimes it takes such drastic action to change the direction of your life and allow you to follow a dream.
They must be able to hold a good amount of compost, allow for aeration and drainage, and permit easy mixing.
Advance planning and backup systems allow colleges to recover data.
But rubber tips are easier to clean than foam, and allow for more breathability.
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