Adjacent Words

Allow definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ALLOW', v.t. [L. loco, to lay, set, place. See Lay.]
1. To grant, give or yield; as, to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a pension.
2. To admit; as, to allow the truth of a proposition; to allow a claim.
3. To admit; to own or acknowledge; as, to allow the right of the President to displace officers.
4. To approve, justify or sanction.
Ye allow the deeds of your fathers. Luke 11. Romans 8.
5. To afford, or grant as a compensation; as, to allow a dollar a day for wages.
6. To abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for tare or leakage.
7. To permit; to grant license to; as, to allow a son to be absent.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: 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" [syn: let, allow, permit] [ant: keep, prevent]
2: 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" [syn: permit, allow, let, countenance] [ant: disallow, forbid, interdict, nix, prohibit, proscribe, veto]
3: let have; "grant permission"; "Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison" [syn: allow, grant] [ant: deny, refuse]
4: 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" [syn: allow, appropriate, earmark, set aside, reserve]
5: 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" [syn: leave, allow for, allow, provide]
6: 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" [syn: allow, take into account]
7: afford possibility; "This problem admits of no solution"; "This short story allows of several different interpretations" [syn: admit, allow]
8: allow the other (baseball) team to score; "give up a run" [syn: give up, allow]
9: grant as a discount or in exchange; "The camera store owner allowed me $50 on my old camera"
10: 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" [syn: allow, permit, tolerate]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French aluer, alouer to place, apportion, allow, from Middle French allocare — more at allocate Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to assign as a share or suitable amount (as of time or money) <allow an hour for lunch> b. to reckon as a deduction or an addition <allow a gallon for leakage> 2. a. chiefly Southern & Midland to be of the opinion ; think b. dialect say, state c. to express an opinion — usually used with as how or that 3. chiefly Southern & Midland intend, plan 4. admit, concede <must allow that money causes problems in marriage> 5. a. permit <doesn't allow people to smoke in his home> b. to forbear or neglect to restrain or prevent <allow the dog to roam> intransitive verb 1. to make a possibility ; admit — used with of <evidence that allows of only one conclusion> 2. to give consideration to circumstances or contingencies — used with for <allow for expansion>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. permit (a practice, a person to do something, a thing to happen, etc.) (smoking is not allowed; we allowed them to speak). 2 tr. give or provide; permit (a person) to have (a limited quantity or sum) (we were allowed £500 a year). 3 tr. provide or set aside for a purpose; add or deduct in consideration of something (allow 10% for inflation). 4 tr. a admit, agree, concede (he allowed that it was so; 'You know best,' he allowed). b US state; be of the opinion. 5 refl. permit oneself, indulge oneself in (conduct) (allowed herself to be persuaded; allowed myself a few angry words). 6 intr. (foll. by of) admit of. 7 intr. (foll. by for) take into consideration or account; make addition or deduction corresponding to (allowing for wastage). Derivatives: allowable adj. allowably adv. Etymology: ME, orig. = 'praise', f. OF alouer f. L allaudare to praise, and med.L allocare to place

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Allow Al*low", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Allowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Allowing.] [OE. alouen, OF. alouer, aloer, aluer, F. allouer, fr. LL. allocare to admit as proved, to place, use; confused with OF. aloer, fr. L. allaudare to extol; ad + laudare to praise. See Local, and cf. Allocate, Laud.] 1. To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction. [Obs. or Archaic] Ye allow the deeds of your fathers. --Luke xi. 48. We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning. --Fuller. 2. To like; to be suited or pleased with. [Obs.] How allow you the model of these clothes? --Massinger. 3. To sanction; to invest; to intrust. [Obs.] Thou shalt be . . . allowed with absolute power. --Shak. 4. 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. He was allowed about three hundred pounds a year. --Macaulay. 5. 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. I allow, with Mrs. Grundy and most moralists, that Miss Newcome's conduct . . . was highly reprehensible. --Thackeray. 6. To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; esp. to abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for leakage. 7. To grant license to; to permit; to consent to; as, to allow a son to be absent. Syn: To allot; assign; bestow; concede; admit; permit; suffer; tolerate. See Permit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Allow Al*low", v. i. To admit; to concede; to make allowance or abatement. Allowing still for the different ways of making it. --Addison. To allow of, to permit; to admit. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(allows, allowing, allowed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If someone is allowed to do something, it is all right for them to do it and they will not get into trouble. The children are not allowed to watch violent TV programmes... The Government will allow them to advertise on radio and television... They will be allowed home... Smoking will not be allowed. = permit, let ? forbid VERB: be V-ed to-inf, V n to-inf, be V-ed adv/prep, be V-ed, also V n/-ing 2. If you are allowed something, you are given permission to have it or are given it. Gifts like chocolates or flowers are allowed... He should be allowed the occasional treat. = permit ? forbid VERB: be V-ed, be V-ed n 3. If you allow something to happen, you do not prevent it. He won't allow himself to fail... If the soil is allowed to dry out the tree could die. = permit, let ? prevent VERB: V n to-inf, V n to-inf 4. If one thing allows another thing to happen, the first thing creates the opportunity for the second thing to happen. The compromise will allow him to continue his free market reforms. ...an attempt to allow the Moslem majority a greater share of power... She said this would allow more effective planning. = permit, let ? prevent VERB: V n to-inf, V n n, V n 5. If you allow a particular length of time or a particular amount of something for a particular purpose, you include it in your planning. Please allow 28 days for delivery... Allow about 75ml (3fl oz) per six servings. VERB: V n for n, V n 6. If you allow that something is true, you admit or agree that it is true. (FORMAL) Warren also allows that capitalist development may, in its early stages, result in increased social inequality. = acknowledge VERB: V that 7. Some people use Allow me to... as a way of introducing something that they want to say or do. (FORMAL) Allow me to introduce Dr Amberg. = permit me to PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Admit, acknowledge, confess, own, concede, grant. 2. Permit, let, authorize, grant leave to, give permission to. 3. Suffer, tolerate, endure, bear, put up with, bear with. 4. Grant, give, yield, relinquish, spare. 5. Approve, sanction, justify. 6. Remit, abate, bate, deduct. II. v. n. Make allowance or provision. [Followed by for.]

Moby Thesaurus

OK, abate, accede, accept, accord, account, acknowledge, acquiesce, add, adjudge, adjudicate, administer, admit, admit everything, admit exceptions, afford, agree provisionally, agree to, allocate, allot, allow for, apportion, appropriate, approve, assent, assent grudgingly, assign, authorize, avow, award, bate, be judicious, bestow, bestow on, brook, budget, charge off, come clean, communicate, concede, confer, confess, consent, consent to, consider, consider the circumstances, consider the source, cop a plea, count, countenance, cut, deal, deal out, deduct, deem, defer, depreciate, discount, dish out, dispense, disregard, dole, dole out, donate, earmark, endure, entertain, esteem, exercise judgment, express an opinion, express general agreement, extend, fork out, form an opinion, gift, gift with, give, give freely, give leave, give out, give permission, give the go-ahead, give the word, go along with, grant, hand out, have, heap, help to, hold, impart, issue, judge, kick back, lavish, leave, let, let have, let on, lift temporarily, lot, make allowance, make allowance for, make possible, mete, mete out, not oppose, offer, okay, open up, out with it, own, own up, permit, pine, plead guilty, pour, present, presume, proffer, provide for, put aside, put up with, rain, rebate, recognize, reduce, refund, regard, relax, relax the condition, release, render, sanction, say the word, serve, set apart, set aside, shell out, shower, slip, snow, spill, spill it, spit it out, stand, stand for, submit, suffer, suppose, take a premium, take account of, take into account, take into consideration, take off, tell all, tell the truth, tender, think of, tolerate, vouchsafe, waive, warrant, write off, yield