allow
verb/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.
13 senses
- 1To let one have as a suitable share of something.
- 2To present something as possible or reasonable.
- 3To permit, to give permission to.
- 4To not bar or obstruct.
- 5To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to…
- 6To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition…
- 7To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.
- 8To render physically possible.
- 9To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
- 10To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
- 11To like; to be suited or pleased with.
- 12To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised…
- 13To forgo bothering with, to let slide.
To let one have as a suitable share of something.
- to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest
- […] he needed a great deal of money, but his uncle only allowed him two thousand roubles a year, which was not enough, and for days together he would run about Moscow with his tongue out, as the saying is.2004 [1895], Constance, transl. Garnett, “Ariadne”, in The Darling: and Other Stories, translation of original by Anton Chekhov:
To present something as possible or reasonable.
- The event allows of only one interpretation.
Catenative To permit, to give permission to.
- I will allow my son to be absent.
- With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get[…]1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii:
To not bar or obstruct.
- Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.
- Smoking (is) allowed only in designated areas.
1 more example
- The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use.2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26:
To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion; to say something one agrees on in the context of a larger disagreement or reluctance.
- to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow an appeal
- You must allow that disagreeing about politics puts a strain on a relationship.
4 more examples
- "Well, that rug does match the wallpaper," he allowed.
- Mr. Knightley, I shall not allow you to be a fair judge in this case.1815, Jane Austen, chapter 5, in Emma, volume 1:
- I allow, with Mrs. Grundy and most moralists, that Miss Newcome's conduct[…]was highly reprehensible.1855, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Newcomes:
- Half the night passed before the wench allowed that it might be safe to stop.2000 August 8, George R[aymond] R[ichard] Martin, “Jaime [Lannister]”, in A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire; 3), London: Voyager, →ISBN, page 127:
To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
- to allow a sum for leakage
- How much will you allow on my old jalopy?
To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.
- When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.
To render physically possible.
- The inlet allowed a facility to bring the money in a boat secretly and at night to the very foot of the hill.1824, Washington Irving, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, in Tales of a Traveller:
- A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):
Obsolete To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
- Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 11:48:
- We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning.1842, Thomas Fuller, Church History of Britain:
Obsolete To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
- 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.1623, William Shakespeare, The Life of Timon of Athens:
Obsolete To like; to be suited or pleased with.
- How allow you the model of these clothes?1632, Philip Massinger, Nathan Field, The Fatal Dowry, act 4, scene 1:
Law To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).
- to allow an objection
- to allow an appeal
Multicultural London English To forgo bothering with, to let slide.
- Easy on violence, now I doubt it I could’ve banged this face but allowed it2021 November 3, “Who's My man?”, Starzzy #MostHated (lyrics), 0:30:
- Synonyms
- grant, admit, afford, yield, give, permit, allot, bestow, concede, let, grant licence to, consent, tolerate, suffer, accede, acquiesce
- Derived terms
- allowability, allowable, allowance, allowee, allower, allow for, allowingly, allow it, allowment, allow nature to take her, its course, disallowance, reallow, unallowing