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Allow Very Common

Allow has 11 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Verb
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"

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"

3

let have

"grant permission"

"Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison"

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"

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"

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"

7

afford possibility

"This problem admits of no solution"

"This short story allows of several different interpretations"

8

allow the other (baseball) team to score

"give up a run"

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"

11

To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.

"The manager refused to allow us an extra day off because the project deadline was approaching too quickly."

In plain English: To allow means to give someone permission to do something or to let it happen.

"The teacher will allow us to use our laptops during the exam."

Usage: Use allow when you mean to permit someone to do something or to provide them with an opportunity. It can also describe giving enough time or resources for a specific action to happen.

Example Sentences
"The teacher will allow us to use our laptops during the exam." verb
"Please allow me to introduce myself." verb
"The schedule does not allow for any delays." verb
"He will not allow anyone to disturb the peace." verb
See Also
let permit permission admit endoamnioscopy ease possible abate
Related Terms
Antonyms
keep prohibit nix refuse
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
accept give assign yield calculate discount permit
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
pass digest furlough give allow authorize admit privilege legalize trust vouchsafe allowance budget for

Origin

The word "allow" entered English in the 14th century as a borrowing from Anglo-Norman and Medieval Latin, originally meaning to assign or allocate something. Although it shares a root with German "erlauben," this connection is coincidental rather than related to its actual history.

Rhyming Words
low alow glow slow blow flow plow ablow bulow below aglow volow coflow kozlow hollow billow beblow yellow upflow replow
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