allow

[uh-lou] /əˈlaʊ/

verb (used with object)

to give permission to or for; permit:

to allow a student to be absent; No swimming allowed.

to let have; give as one's share; grant as one's right:

to allow a person $100 for expenses.

to permit by neglect, oversight, or the like:

to allow a door to remain open.

to admit; acknowledge; concede:

to allow a claim.

to take into consideration, as by adding or subtracting; set apart:

to allow an hour for changing trains.

Older Use. to say; think.

Archaic. to approve; sanction.

verb (used without object)

to permit something to happen or to exist; admit (often followed by of):

to spend more than one's budget allows; a premise that allows of only one conclusion.

Idioms

allow for, to make concession or provision for:

to allow for breakage.

Origin

1250-1300; Middle English alowen < Anglo-French al(l)o(u)er to place, allot, allow, Old French aloer to place < Late Latin allocāre; see al-, locus; the older sense “approve, sanction” and Middle English sense “praise” probably by taking the Anglo-French v. as representing Medieval Latin, Latin adlaudāre to praise; see ad-, laud

Related forms

preallow, verb (used with object)

Synonyms

1. Allow, let, permit imply granting or conceding the right of someone to do something. Allow and permit are often interchangeable, but permit is the more positive. Allow implies complete absence of an attempt, or even an intent, to hinder. Permit suggests formal or implied assent or authorization. Let is the familiar, conversational term for both allow and permit.

Antonyms

1. forbid, prohibit.

Examples from the web for allow

They must be able to hold a good amount of compost, allow for aeration and drainage, and permit easy mixing.
But sometimes it takes such drastic action to change the direction of your life and allow you to follow a dream.
They are only biding their time until political conditions allow them to once again cut taxes.
Many colleges allow football players to take the easy way out.
Having an online grave will allow less long drives to commemorate the dead.
Brain implants may allow humans to remotely guide some shark behavior.
We need to allow the technology to develop to give us new forms of energy.
Modifications of the trachea to allow speech pushed the trachea and esophagus further down the throat to make way.
Double-hung windows above the sink allow in air and light.
The new filtering options on the home page allow you to narrow and focus updates and other content.

British Dictionary definitions for allow

allow

/əˈlaʊ/

verb

(transitive) to permit (to do something); let

(transitive) to set aside: five hours were allowed to do the job

(transitive) to let enter or stay: they don't allow dogs

(transitive) to acknowledge or concede (a point, claim, etc)

(transitive) to let have; grant: he was allowed few visitors

(intransitive) foll by for. to take into account: allow for delays

(intransitive) often foll by of. to permit; admit: a question that allows of only one reply

(transitive; may take a clause as object) (US, dialect) to assert; maintain

(transitive) (archaic) to approve; accept

Word Origin

C14: from Old French alouer, from Late Latin allaudāre to extol, influenced by Medieval Latin allocāre to assign, allocate

Word Origin and History for allow

early 14c., allouen, "to commend, praise; approve of, be pleased with; appreciate the value of;" also, "take into account or give credit for," also, in law and philosophy, "recognize, admit as valid" (a privilege, an excuse, a statement, etc.). From late 14c. as "sanction or permit; condone;" in business use from early 15c.

The Middle English word is from Anglo-French alouer, Old French aloer, alloiier (13c.) "allot, apportion, bestow, assign," from Latin allocare (see allocate). This word in Old French was confused and ultimately merged with aloer; alloer "to praise, commend," from Latin allaudare, adlaudare, compound of ad- "to" (see ad-) + laudare "to praise" (see laud). From the first word came the sense preserved in allowance as "money granted;" from the second came its meaning "permission based on approval."

Between the two primary significations there naturally arose a variety of uses blending them in the general idea of assign with approval, grant, concede a thing claimed or urged, admit a thing offered, permit, etc., etc. [OED].

Related: Allowed; allowing.