Allow

• POS: Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: al=low

CIDE DICTIONARY

Allow, v. t. [OE. alouen, OF. alouer, aloer, aluer, F. allouer, fr. LL. allocare to admit as proved, to place, use; confused with OF. aloer, fr. L. allaudare to extol; ad + laudare to praise. See Local, and cf. Allocate, Laud.].

•  To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.  [1913 Webster]

  "Ye allow the deeds of your fathers."  [1913 Webster]

  "We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning."  [1913 Webster]
•  To like; to be suited or pleased with.  [1913 Webster]

  "How allow you the model of these clothes?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To sanction; to invest; to intrust.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou shalt be . . . allowed with absolute power."  [1913 Webster]
•  To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have; as, to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest.  [1913 Webster]

  "He was allowed about three hundred pounds a year."  [1913 Webster]
•  To own or acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion; as, to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow the truth of a proposition.  [1913 Webster]

  "I allow, with Mrs. Grundy and most moralists, that Miss Newcome's conduct . . . was highly reprehensible."  [1913 Webster]
•  To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; esp. to abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for leakage.  [1913 Webster]
•  To grant license to; to permit; to consent to; as, to allow a son to be absent.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To allot; assign; bestow; concede; admit; permit; suffer; tolerate. See Permit.

Allow, v. i. 

 To admit; to concede; to make allowance or abatement.  [1913 Webster]
"Allowing still for the different ways of making it."  [1913 Webster]

To allow of, to permit; to admit. Shak.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Allow, v.
1 tr. permit (a practice, a person to do something, a thing to happen, etc.) (smoking is not allowed; we allowed them to speak).
2 tr. give or provide; permit (a person) to have (a limited quantity or sum) (we were allowed {pound}500 a year).
3 tr. provide or set aside for a purpose; add or deduct in consideration of something (allow 10% for inflation).
4 tr. a admit, agree, concede (he allowed that it was so; 'You know best,' he allowed). b US state; be of the opinion.
5 refl. permit oneself, indulge oneself in (conduct) (allowed herself to be persuaded; allowed myself a few angry words).
6 intr. (foll. by of) admit of.
7 intr. (foll. by for) take into consideration or account; make addition or deduction corresponding to (allowing for wastage).

Derivative

allowable adj. allowably adv.

Etymology

ME, orig. = 'praise', f. OF alouer f. L allaudare to praise, and med.L allocare to place

THESAURUS

Allow

OK, abate, accede, accept, accord, account, acknowledge, acquiesce, add, adjudge, adjudicate, administer, admit, admit everything, admit exceptions, afford, agree provisionally, agree to, allocate, allot, allow for, apportion, appropriate, approve, assent, assent grudgingly, assign, authorize, avow, award, bate, be judicious, bestow, bestow on, brook, budget, charge off, come clean, communicate, concede, confer, confess, consent, consent to, consider, consider the circumstances, consider the source, cop a plea, count, countenance, cut, deal, deal out, deduct, deem, defer, depreciate, discount, dish out, dispense, disregard, dole, dole out, donate, earmark, endure, entertain, esteem, exercise judgment, express an opinion, express general agreement, extend, fork out, form an opinion, gift, gift with, give, give freely, give leave, give out, give permission, give the go-ahead, give the word, go along with, grant, hand out, have, heap, help to, hold, impart, issue, judge, kick back, lavish, leave, let, let have, let on, lift temporarily, lot, make allowance, make allowance for, make possible, mete, mete out, not oppose, offer, okay, open up, out with it, own, own up, permit, pine, plead guilty, pour, present, presume, proffer, provide for, put aside, put up with, rain, rebate, recognize, reduce, refund, regard, relax, relax the condition, release, render, sanction, say the word, serve, set apart, set aside, shell out, shower, slip, snow, spill, spill it, spit it out, stand, stand for, submit, suffer, suppose, take a premium, take account of, take into account, take into consideration, take off, tell all, tell the truth, tender, think of, tolerate, vouchsafe, waive, warrant, write off, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

Allow

Permission

VB permit, give permission, give power, let, allow, admit, suffer, bear with, tolerate, recognize, concede, accord, vouchsafe, favor, humor, gratify, indulge, stretch a point, wink at, connive at, shut one's eyes to, grant, empower, charter, enfranchise, privilege, confer a privilege, license, authorize, warrant, sanction, intrust, give carte blanche, give the reins to, give scope to, leave alone, leave it to one, leave the door open, open the door to, open the flood gates, give a loose to, let off, absolve, release, exonerate, dispense with, ask permission, beg permission, request permission, ask leave, beg leave, request leave.

Consent

VB consent, assent, yield assent, admit, allow, concede, grant, yield, come round, come over, give into, acknowledge, agnize, give consent, comply with, acquiesce, agree to, fall in with, accede, accept, embrace an offer, close with, take at one's word, have no objection, satisfy, meet one's wishes, settle, come to terms, not refuse, turn a willing ear, jump at, deign, vouchsafe, promise.

Giving

VB deliver, hand, pass, put into the hands of, hand over, make over, deliver over, pass over, turn over, assign dower, present, give away, dispense, dispose of, give out, deal out, dole out, mete out, fork out, squeeze out, pay, render, impart, communicate, concede, cede, yield, part with, shed, cast, spend, give, bestow, confer, grant, accord, award, assign, intrust, consign, vest in, make a present, allow, contribute, subscribe, furnish its quota, invest, endow, settle upon, bequeath, leave, devise, furnish, supply, help, administer to, afford, spare, accommodate with, indulge with, favor with, shower down upon, lavish, pour on, thrust upon, tip, bribe, tickle the palm, grease the palm, offer, sacrifice, immolate.

Discount

VB discount, bate, abate, rebate, reduce, price down, mark down take off, allow, give, make allowance, tax.

Assent

VB assent, give assent, yield assent, nod assent, acquiesce, agree, receive, accept, accede, accord, concur, lend oneself to, consent, coincide, reciprocate, go with, be at one with, go along with, chime in with, strike in with, close in with, echo, enter into one's views, agree in opinion, vote, give one's voice for, recognize, subscribe to, conform to, defer to, say yes to, say ditto, amen to, say aye to, acknowledge, own, admit, allow, avow, confess, concede, come round to, abide by, permit, arrive at an understanding, come to an understanding, come to terms, come to an agreement, confirm, affirm, ratify, appprove, indorse, countersign, corroborate, go with the stream, swim with the stream, go with the flow, blow with the wind, be in fashion, join in the chorus, join the crowd, be one of the guys, be part of the group, go with the crowd, don't make waves, be in every mouth.

Disclosure

VB disclose, discover, dismask, draw the veil, draw aside the veil, lift the veil, raise the veil, lift up the veil, remove the veil, tear aside the veil, tear the curtain, unmask, unveil, unfold, uncover, unseal, unkennel, take off the seal, break the seal, lay open, lay bare, expose, open, open up, bare, bring to light, divulge, reveal, break, squeal, tattle, sing, rat, snitch, let into the secret, reveal the secrets of the prison house, tell, breathe, utter, blab, peach, let out, let fall, let drop, let slip, spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag, betray, tell tales, come out of school, come out with, give vent, give utterance to, open the lips, blurt out, vent, whisper about, speak out, make public, unriddle, split, acknowledge, allow, concede, grant, admit, own, own up to, confess, avow, throw off all disguise, turn inside out, make a clean breast, show one's hand, show one's cards, unburden one's mind, disburden one's mind, disburden one's conscience, disburden one's heart, open one's mind, lay bare one's mind, tell a piece of one's mind, unbosom oneself, own to the soft impeachment, say the truth, speak the truth, turn King's evidence, Queen's evidence, acknowledge the corn, raise the mask, drop the mask, lift the mask, remove the mask, throw off the mask, expose, lay open, undeceive, unbeguile, disabuse, set right, correct, open the eyes of, d_esillusionner, be disclosed, transpire, come to light, come in sight, become known, escape the lips, come out, ooze out, creep out, leak out, peep out, crop-out, show its face, show its colors, discover itself, break through the clouds, flash on the mind.