allow

verb

(transitive, catenative) To permit, to give permission to.

To not bar or obstruct.

(ditransitive) To let one have as a suitable share of something.

(transitive) To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion.

(transitive) To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.

(transitive) To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.

(transitive) To render physically possible.

(law, transitive) To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).

(transitive, MTE, MLE) To forgo bothering with, to let slide.

(transitive, obsolete) To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.

(obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.

(transitive, obsolete) To like; to be suited or pleased with.

Roots

adal- · Latin · to laudarelow- · Latin · to praise, approve

Synonyms for allow

permitv letv toleratev authorizev leavev admitv grantn givev approvev acceptv offern consentn

Synonyms & related words for allow

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of allow — including permit, let, tolerate, authorize, leave, admit. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to allow

Explore words related to allow — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include provide, enable, require, disallow, approbate, permission, forbid, affords. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for allow

Common synonyms for allow include permit, let, tolerate, authorize, leave, admit, grant, give — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does allow come from?

The word allow breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: al-, from Latin ad (“to”); and low, from Latin laudare (“to praise, approve”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.