Allow — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb /ə-ˈlau̇/ al·low

Meaning & Definition of Allow

Allow (verb)

  1. permit
  2. to fail to restrain or prevent
  3. to assign as a share or suitable amount (as of time or money)

Allow (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to give permission for or to approve of

    "flash photography is not allowed inside the church"

    similar: green-light, have, permit, suffer, stand for
    related: authorize, commission, license, accede (to), acquiesce, agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), OK, warrant, accord, concede, grant, sanction, vouchsafe, admit, brook, condone, countenance, endure, support, tolerate
    opposite: ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto
    near: hinder, impede, obstruct, censure, deny, disallow, disapprove, interdict, refuse, reject, revoke, suppress, withhold, deplore, discountenance, disfavor, dislike, frown (at or on), grudge, check, curb, keep, repress, restrain

  2. to give permission to

    "a boarding school that does not allow students to go on weekend trips without written permission"

    similar: leave, let, permit
    related: authorize, commission, empower, license, approve, endorse, sanction, free, liberate, release, cater (to), give in (to), humor, indulge
    opposite: enjoin, forbid, prohibit
    near: deter, discourage, bar, block, constrain, curb, frustrate, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, prevent

  3. to fail to prevent (some behavior on someone's part) especially from neglect or indifference

    "only a lazy gardener would allow the weeds to grow that high"

    similar: let, permit, suffer, tolerate, put up with
    related: brush (aside or off), condone, disregard, ignore, overlook, shrug off, wink (at), excuse, forgive, pardon, brook, cater (to), give in (to), humor, indulge
    opposite: bar, block, constrain, prevent
    near: forbid, prohibit, curb, deter, discourage, frustrate, hold back, impede, inhibit, interfere (with)

  4. to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly

    "I'll allow I probably said more than I should have"

    similar: acknowledge, admit, agree, concede, confess, fess (up), grant, own (up to), come clean (about)
    related: disburden, unburden, unload, affirm, avow, confirm, profess, accept, recognize, yield, announce, break, broadcast, communicate, declare, disclose, divulge, impart, proclaim, publish, reveal, spill, tell, unveil, betray, blab, expose, give away, inform, leak, rat, squeal, talk, tattle, tip (off), warn, wise (up), breathe, say, whisper
    opposite: deny
    near: disallow, disavow, disclaim, disown, contradict, dispute, gainsay, negate, negative, rebut, refute, reject, repudiate, conceal, cover (up), hide, obscure, veil, kid (oneself)

  5. to give as a share or portion

    "allowed each camper one match to light his fire"

    similar: allocate, allot, apportion, assign, distribute, lot, ration
    related: admeasure, administer, deal, dispense, divide, dole out, hand out, measure, mete (out), meter, parcel (out), part, portion, prorate, share (out), split, accord, award, give, grant, earmark, reserve, chip in, contribute, donate, reallocate, reapportion, reassign, redistribute
    near: begrudge, deny, deprive (of), keep, retain, stint, withhold, appropriate, arrogate, confiscate

  6. to make able or possible

    "a patient's canceled appointment allowed the doctor to squeeze in a few extra phone calls"

    similar: empower, enable, let, permit
    related: fit, habilitate, prepare, qualify, ready, approve, endorse, sanction, condition, equip
    opposite: prevent
    near: inhibit, preclude, disallow, enjoin, forbid, prohibit

  7. to make a statement of one's opinion

    "he allowed that their new house looked very nice"

    similar: comment, editorialize, note, observe, opine, reflect, remark, weigh in
    related: commentate, articulate, express, say, speak, state, talk, tell, utter, verbalize, vocalize, conjecture, daresay, guess, speculate, suppose, surmise

  8. to have as an opinion

    "people in these parts allow that everyone is entitled to one mistake in life, even if it's a doozy"

    similar: believe, conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess, hold, imagine, judge, reckon (chiefly dialect), suppose, think
    related: regard, view, accept, perceive, depend, rely, trust, assume, presume, presuppose, surmise, conclude, deduce, infer
    near: distrust, doubt, mistrust, question, suspect, disbelieve, discredit, reject

  9. to have in mind as a purpose or goal

    "I allow to go hunting before the season is over"

    similar: aim, aspire, calculate, contemplate, design, go (chiefly Southern & Midland), intend, look, mean, meditate, plan, propose, purport, purpose, figure on
    related: dream, hope, wish, consider, debate, mull (over), ponder, attempt, endeavor, strive, struggle, try, plot, scheme, accomplish, achieve, effect, execute, perform

Related Entry: Allow (for) (verb)

Allow (for) is a different word from Allow. The synonyms below are for allow (for), not for allow.

  1. to give consideration to (as unexpected circumstances or contingencies)

    "budget your time to allow for the possibility of unexpected problems"

    similar: consider, factor (in or into), provide (for), regard, figure on, reckon with, take account of, take into account
    related: accommodate, adapt, adjust, condition, anticipate, contemplate, envisage, expect, foresee, assume, presume, presuppose, plan, calculate, face
    opposite: discount, disregard
    near: factor (out)

Related Entry: Allow (of) (verb)

Allow (of) is a different word from Allow. The synonyms below are for allow (of), not for allow.

  1. to make possible especially to the exclusion of other possibilities

    "I'm afraid the problem doesn't allow of any other solution"

    similar: admit (of), permit (of)
    related: open up, favor, justify, support, sustain, validate, need, take, want, warrant
    near: close out, disallow, enjoin, exclude, forbid, negative, preclude, rule out

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Allow

The most common words with a similar meaning to Allow:

Chiefly dialect: reckon
Chiefly Southern & Midland: go
green-light, have, permit, suffer, leave, let, tolerate, acknowledge, admit, agree, concede, confess, fess (up), grant, own (up to), allocate, allot, apportion, assign, distribute, lot, ration, empower, enable, comment, editorialize, note, observe, opine, reflect, remark, weigh in, believe, conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Allow

Words with the opposite meaning of Allow:

ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto, bar, block, constrain, prevent, deny

Related Words for Allow

authorize, commission, license, accede (to), acquiesce, agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), OK, warrant, accord, sanction, vouchsafe, brook, condone, countenance, endure, support, approve, endorse, free, liberate, release, cater (to), give in (to), humor, indulge, brush (aside or off), disregard, ignore

Near Antonyms of Allow

hinder, impede, obstruct, censure, disallow, disapprove, interdict, refuse, reject, revoke, suppress, withhold, deplore, discountenance, disfavor, dislike, frown (at or on), grudge, check, curb, keep, repress, restrain, deter, discourage, frustrate, hold back, inhibit, interfere (with), disavow

Word Forms of Allow

Inflections: allowed, allowing, allows

Origin & Etymology of Allow

Middle English alowen, allowen "to commend, approve of, legally recognize, permit, take into account, compensate," borrowed from Anglo-French aluer, aloer "to place, allot, commend, accept as legally valid, permit, take into account, assess," probably in part from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + loer "to praise," going back to Latin laudāre; in part going back to Medieval Latin allocāre "to place, admit, credit" laud:2, allocate

First known use: 14th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Allow

Words & Phrases Containing Allow

allow as how, allow for, allow of

Frequently Asked Questions about Allow

What does "Allow" mean?

"Allow" means permit. As a verb, it is defined as: permit. It has 9 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Allow"?

Other words for "Allow" include green-light, have, permit, suffer, leave, let, tolerate and acknowledge. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Allow" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Allow"?

There are 216 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Allow". Common alternatives include green-light, have, permit, suffer, leave, let, tolerate, acknowledge, admit and agree.

What is the opposite of "Allow"?

Antonyms of "Allow" include ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto, bar and block. Near antonyms include hinder, impede, obstruct and censure.

How do you use "Allow" in a sentence?

Examples of "Allow" in a sentence: "flash photography is not allowed inside the church"; "a boarding school that does not allow students to go on weekend trips without written permission"; "only a lazy gardener would allow the weeds to grow that high".

Is "Allow" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Allow" is a verb.

Is "Allow" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Allow" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Allow"?

"Allow" is pronounced /ə-ˈlau̇/ and divided into syllables as al·low.