allow

v., -lowed, -low·ing, -lows.

v.tr.

1. To let do or happen; permit: We allow smoking only in restricted areas.
2. To permit the presence of: No pets are allowed inside.
3. To permit to have: allow oneself a little treat.
4. To make provision for; assign: The schedule allows time for a coffee break.
5. To plan for in case of need: allow two inches in the fabric for shrinkage.
6. To grant as a discount or in exchange: allowed me 20 dollars on my old typewriter.
7. Chiefly Southern & Midland U.S.
   1. To admit; concede: I allowed he was right.
   2. To think; suppose: "We allow he's straight" (American Speech).
   3. To assert; declare: Mother allowed that we'd better come in for dinner.

v.intr.

1. To offer a possibility; admit: The poem allows of several interpretations.
2. To take a possibility into account; make allowance: In calculating profit, retailers must allow for breakage and spoilage.

[Middle English allouen, to approve, permit, from Old French alouer, from Latin allaudāre, to praise (ad-, intensive pref.; see ad- + laudāre, to praise; see laud) and from Medieval Latin allocāre, to assign; see allocate.]

allowable al·low'a·ble adj.
allowably al·low'a·bly adv.

verb

1. To neither forbid nor prevent: have, let, permit, suffer, tolerate. See allow/prevent.
2. To give one's consent to: approbate, approve, authorize, consent, endorse, let, permit, sanction. Informal OK. See allow/prevent.
3. To afford an opportunity for: admit, let, permit. See allow/prevent.
4. To set aside or distribute as a share: admeasure, allocate, allot, apportion, assign, give, lot, measure out, mete (out). See collect/distribute.
5. To recognize, often reluctantly, the reality or truth of: acknowledge, admit, avow, concede, confess, grant, own (up). Slang fess up. See affirm/deny/argue, knowledge/ignorance.

v

Definition: admit; acknowledge
Antonyms: deny, refuse, reject

v

Definition: permit (action)
Antonyms: deny, disallow, disapprove, forbid, prohibit, protest, refuse, reject, resist, withstand

v

Definition: set aside
Antonyms: hold, keep

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On drawings, abbr. for “allowance.”

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IN BRIEF: Give permission; permit.

Allow yourself to be inspired. Allow yourself to succeed. Dare to excel. — Vince Dente

Tutor's tip: If your friends "allow" (permit) you to use their "aloe" (plant whose juice is used medicinally), you'll feel better soon. To go "alow" is a nautical term that means below the deck.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - tillade, give lov til, tildele, give
v. intr. - tage i betragtning, regne med

idioms:

• allow for    tillade, åbne mulighed for, give mulighed for
• allow me    tillad mig, nu skal jeg, må jeg få lov
• allow oneself    tillade sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
toelaten, toegeven, toekennen, beweren

Français (French)
v. tr. - permettre, admettre, autoriser, tolérer, souffrir, accorder, allouer, (Comm) faire bénéficier qn de, consentir (une remise), reconnaître, convenir que
v. intr. - permettre, admettre, accorder

idioms:

• allow for    tenir compte de, déduire pour, ajouter pour, parer à
• allow me    permettez-moi
• allow oneself    se permettre

Deutsch (German)
v. - zulassen, zugeben

idioms:

• allow for    berücksichtigen
• allow me    gestatten Sie
• allow oneself    sich leisten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - επιτρέπω, αφήνω, παραδέχομαι, αναγνωρίζω, χορηγώ, παρέχω, καθιστώ δυνατό

idioms:

• allow for    λαμβάνω υπόψη, κάνω πρόβλεψη για, αφήνω περιθώρια για
• allow me    επιτρέψτε μου (να βοηθήσω)
• allow oneself    επιτρέπω στον εαυτό μου

Italiano (Italian)
permettere, convenire

idioms:

• allow for    tenere presente
• allow me    permettetemi
• allow oneself    permettersi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - permitir, concordar

idioms:

• allow for    dar mais tempo ou dinheiro para resolver algo
• allow me    permita-me (fazer algo por alguém)
• allow oneself    permitir a si mesmo

Русский (Russian)
позволять, разрешать, признать

idioms:

• allow for    учитывать, включать в расчет
• allow me    позвольте мне
• allow oneself    позволять себе

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - permitir, tolerar, dejar, conceder, autorizar, admitir, dar
v. intr. - permitirse, tolerarse, dejarse, concederse, autorizarse, admitirse, darse, dar permiso, otorgar una concesión o autorización

idioms:

• allow for    tener en cuenta, dejar un margen para
• allow me    ¡permítame!
• allow oneself    permitirse, darse el placer de

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - tillåta, anslå, godkänna

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
允许, 承认, 同意给予, 考虑, 体谅, 容许

idioms:

• allow for    考虑到
• allow me    请允许我
• allow oneself    宽容自己

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 允許, 承認, 同意給予
v. intr. - 考慮, 體諒, 容許

idioms:

• allow for    考慮到
• allow me    請允許我
• allow oneself    寬容自己

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 허락하다, 지급하다, ~이라고 생각하다, 빼다
v. intr. - 허락하다, ~할 여지가 있다

idioms:

• allow for    참작하다, 준비하다
• allow oneself    ~에 빠지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 許す, 与える, 認める, 見込む, 値引きする, 斟酌する, 余地がある, 差し引く

idioms:

• allow for    考慮に入れる
• allow me    ～させて下さい
• allow oneself    ふける

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسمح, يجيز, يخصص, يترك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הרשה, קיבל, נתן, הקציב, הודה, הסכים‬
v. intr. - ‮היה בדעה ש-, לקח בחשבון, ניכה או הוסיף לפי‬

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