What does "allowance" mean?
Permission; granting, conceding, or admitting.
Allowance
/əˈlaʊəns/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Permission; granting, conceding, or admitting.
- Grammar: allowance is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: tolerance, leeway, margin, stipend.
- Useful contrasts: verboten, no contact field, no effects.
- Usage evidence: You must make allowance for his lack of experience.
How to use "allowance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "allowance" 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 "allowance" 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 "allowance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "allowance" 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 "allowance" is acting as noun, 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 "tolerance" 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 "allowance", 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
Noun
- 1 Permission; granting, conceding, or admitting. countable, uncountable
"you sent a large commission to Gregory de Cassado, to conclude, without the King's will or the state's allowance"
- 2 the act of allowing wordnet
- 3 Acknowledgment. countable, uncountable
"The censure of the which one must in your allowance overweigh a whole theater of others."
- 4 a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits wordnet
- 5 An amount, portion, or share that is allotted or granted; a sum granted as a reimbursement, a bounty, or as appropriate for any purpose. countable, uncountable
"her meagre allowance of food or drink"
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an amount added or deducted on the basis of qualifying circumstances wordnet
- 7 An amount, portion, or share that is allotted or granted; a sum granted as a reimbursement, a bounty, or as appropriate for any purpose.; Such a sum or portion granted to a family member or familiar, especially one's own child; pocket money for such a person. countable, uncountable
"She gives her daughters each an allowance of thirty dollars a month."
- 8 an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period) wordnet
- 9 Abatement; deduction; the taking into account of mitigating circumstances. countable, uncountable
"to make allowance for his naivety"
- 10 a sum granted as reimbursement for expenses wordnet
- 11 A deduction from the gross weight of goods, such as to discount their container's weight or per a custom differing by country. countable, uncountable
"Minus the allowance, the total came to thirteen tons."
- 12 a reserve fund created by a charge against profits in order to provide for changes in the value of a company's assets wordnet
- 13 A permitted reduction in the weight that a racehorse must carry. countable, uncountable
"On the Flat, an apprentice jockey starts with an allowance of 7 lb."
- 14 A permissible deviation in the fineness and weight of coins, owing to the difficulty in securing exact conformity to the standard prescribed by law. countable, uncountable
- 15 Approval; approbation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[…]gave allowance where he needed none"
- 16 License; indulgence. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"this Allowance for their Transgressions"
- 17 A planned deviation between an exact dimension and a nominal or theoretical dimension. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To put upon a fixed allowance (especially of provisions and drink). transitive
"The captain was obliged to allowance his crew."
- 2 put on a fixed allowance, as of food wordnet
- 3 To supply in a fixed and limited quantity. transitive
"Our provisions were allowanced."
Antonyms
Example
"You must make allowance for his lack of experience."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "allowance"?
Common synonyms include: tolerance, leeway, margin, stipend, abatement, acceptance.
How do you use "allowance" in a sentence?
You must make allowance for his lack of experience.
How do you pronounce "allowance"?
Pronounced /əˈlaʊəns/.
Etymology
From Middle English allouance, from Old French alouance. Morphologically allow + -ance.