What does "allow" mean?
To let one have as a suitable share of something.
Allow
/əˈlaʊ/ verb
verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To let one have as a suitable share of something.
- Grammar: allow is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: admit, grant, permit, abate.
- Useful contrasts: bated, begrudging, binding legal rule.
- Usage evidence: Excuse me; allow me to point out three errors in the above article.
How to use "allow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "allow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "allow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "allow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "allow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "allow" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "admit" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "allow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To let one have as a suitable share of something. ditransitive
"to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest"
- 2 allow or plan for a certain possibility; concede the truth or validity of something wordnet
- 3 To permit, to give permission to. catenative, transitive
"I will allow my son to be absent."
- 4 give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause wordnet
- 5 To not bar or obstruct.
"Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 consent to, give permission; permit wordnet
- 7 To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion. transitive
"to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow an appeal"
- 8 allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting wordnet
- 9 To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct. transitive
"to allow a sum for leakage"
- 10 let have wordnet
- 11 To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans. transitive
"When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies."
- 12 grant as a discount or in exchange wordnet
- 13 To render physically possible. transitive
"The inlet allowed a facility to bring the money in a boat secretly and at night to the very foot of the hill."
- 14 make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen wordnet
- 15 To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction. obsolete, transitive
"Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers"
- 16 allow the other (baseball) team to score wordnet
- 17 To sanction; to invest; to entrust. obsolete
"Therefore so please thee to return with us, And of our Athens—thine and ours—to take The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks, Allow'd with absolute power, and thy good name Live with authority. So soon we shall drive back Of Alcibiades the approaches wild, Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up His country's peace."
- 18 make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain wordnet
- 19 To like; to be suited or pleased with. obsolete, transitive
"How allow you the model of these clothes?"
- 20 afford possibility wordnet
- 21 To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request). transitive
"to allow an objection"
- 22 To forgo bothering with, to let slide. Multicultural-London-English, transitive
"Easy on violence, now I doubt it I could’ve banged this face but allowed it"
Antonyms
Example
"Excuse me; allow me to point out three errors in the above article."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "allow"?
Common synonyms include: admit, grant, permit, abate, accede, accept.
How do you use "allow" in a sentence?
Excuse me; allow me to point out three errors in the above article.
How do you pronounce "allow"?
Pronounced /əˈlaʊ/.
Etymology
From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaudāre, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocō (“to assign”). Doublet of allaud (via allaudāre) or allocate (via allocāre). The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną (“to allow”) is unrelated.