Definitions for allow
əˈlaʊal·low

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. let, allow, permitverb

   make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

   "This permits the water to rush in"; "This sealed door won't allow the water come into the basement"; "This will permit the rain to run off"

2. permit, allow, let, countenanceverb

   consent to, give permission

   "She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband"; "I won't let the police search her basement"; "I cannot allow you to see your exam"

3. allow, grantverb

   let have

   "grant permission"; "Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison"

4. allow, appropriate, earmark, set aside, reserveverb

   give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

   "I will earmark this money for your research"; "She sets aside time for meditation every day"

5. leave, allow for, allow, provideverb

   make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain

   "This leaves no room for improvement"; "The evidence allows only one conclusion"; "allow for mistakes"; "leave lots of time for the trip"; "This procedure provides for lots of leeway"

6. allow, take into accountverb

   allow or plan for a certain possibility; concede the truth or validity of something

   "I allow for this possibility"; "The seamstress planned for 5% shrinkage after the first wash"

7. admit, allowverb

   afford possibility

   "This problem admits of no solution"; "This short story allows of several different interpretations"

8. give up, allowverb

   allow the other (baseball) team to score

   "give up a run"

9. allowverb

   grant as a discount or in exchange

   "The camera store owner allowed me $50 on my old camera"

10. allow, permit, tolerateverb

    allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting

    "We don't allow dogs here"; "Children are not permitted beyond this point"; "We cannot tolerate smoking in the hospital"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. allowverb

   To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.

2. allowverb

   To acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion.

3. allowverb

   To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct;

   To allow a sum for leakage.

4. allowverb

   To grant license to; to permit; to consent to.

5. allowverb

   To not bar or obstruct.

   Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.

6. allowverb

   To acknowledge or concede.

7. allowverb

   To take into account by making an allowance.

   When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.

8. allowverb

   To render physically possible

9. Etymology: From allouen, from alouer, from Medieval allaudāre, (ad-) + laudare, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocāre.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. To ALLOWverb

   Etymology: allouer, Fr. from allaudare.

   1. To admit; as, to allow a position; not to contradict; not to oppose.

   The principles, which all mankind allow for true, are innate; those, that men of right reason admit, are the principles allowed by all mankind. John Locke.

   The pow’r of musick all our hearts allow;
   And what Timotheus was, is John Dryden now. Alexander Pope, Ess. Crit.

   As to what is alleged, that some of the Presbyterians declared openly against the king’s murder, I allow it to be true. Jonathan Swift.

   2. To grant; to yield; to own any one’s title to.

   We will not, in civility, allow too much sincerity to the professions of most men; but think their actions to be interpreters of their thoughts. John Locke.

   I will help you to enough of them, and shall be ready to allow the pope as little power here as you please. Jonathan Swift.

   3. To grant licence to; to permit.

   Let’s follow the old earl, and get the beldam
   To lead him where he would; his roguish madness
   Allows itself to any thing. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 1 Thess. ii. 4.

   They referred all laws, that were to be passed in Ireland, to be considered, corrected and allowed first by the state of England. John Davies, on Ireland.

   4. To give a sanction to; to authorize.

   There is no slander in an allow’d fool. William Shakespeare, Tw. Night.

   5. To give to; to pay to.

   Ungrateful then! if we no tears allow
   To him that gave us peace and empire too. Edmund Waller.

   6. To appoint for; to set out to a certain use; as, he allowed his son the third part of his income.7. To make abatement, or provision; or to settle any thing, with some concessions or cautions, regarding something else.

   If we consider the different occasions of ancient and modern medals, we shall find they both agree in recording the great actions and successes in war; allowing still for the different ways of making it, and the circumstances that attended it. Addison.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Allowverb

   to praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction

2. Allowverb

   to like; to be suited or pleased with

3. Allowverb

   to sanction; to invest; to intrust

4. Allowverb

   to grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have; as, to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest

5. Allowverb

   to own or acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion; as, to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow the truth of a proposition

6. Allowverb

   to grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; esp. to abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for leakage

7. Allowverb

   to grant license to; to permit; to consent to; as, to allow a son to be absent

8. Allowverb

   to admit; to concede; to make allowance or abatement

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Allow

   al-low′, v.t. to grant: to permit: to acknowledge: to abate: make allowance for: (obs.) invest, entrust: assert, say (coll. in U.S.).—adj. Allow′able, that may be allowed: not forbidden: lawful.—n. Allow′ableness.—adv. Allow′ably.—n. Allow′ance, that which is allowed: a limited portion of anything: a stated quantity—of money, &c., to meet expenses: abatement: approbation: permission.—v.t. to put any one upon an allowance: to supply anything in limited quantities.—To make allowance for, to take excusing circumstances into account. [O. Fr. alouer, to grant—L. ad, to, and locāre, to place.—Allow, in the sense of approve or sanction, as used in B. and by old writers, has its root in L. allaudāre—ad-, and laudāre, to praise.]

Editors Contribution(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. allow

   To give permission to.

   Time did allow for their love to connect and for them to marry before the date they choose as they knew they were both so right for each other.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Discount
   • Give

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'allow' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #854

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'allow' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1328

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'allow' in Verbs Frequency: #59

How to pronounce allow?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say allow in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of allow in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of allow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of allow in a Sentence

1. Amit Ray:

   The true miracle lies in our eagerness to allow, appreciate, and honor the uniqueness, and freedom of each sentient being to sing the song of their heart.

2. Alyssa Milano:

   Four years ago, Milo was born and all the heartache pain of my past finally made sense. I love you, son. I'll teach you all that I have. i would say that love that you feel is so profound that it is life altering, but it is like living with your heart outside of your body because you allow yourself to love so deeply you become so incredibly vulnerable, and with those vulnerabilities you are able to explore who are as a human.

3. Hoshiyar Zebari:

   The Kurdish alliance has one position: we are for the respect of the Constitution and we won't allow the Kurds' representatives be imposed on us, any future representation of the Kurds has to be just and fair.

4. Marco Rubio:

   Well, unfortunately it created a distraction that didn't allow us at the end of the campaign there to close with our message because everybody wanted to talk about the fact that I said the same thing a couple times, and it was a mistake in the sense that, I mean what I was trying to avoid, Wolf, was kind of an inner party fight, I don't like Republican-on-Republican violence in these debates.

5. Brian Fitzpatrick:

   I will go as far into that territory as they will allow me to go, i'd go to Kyiv if they let me.

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