Dictionary

allow

Etymology

From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaudāre, present active infinitive of allaudō, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocō.

The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną is coincidental.

Pronunciation

enPR: ə-lou', IPA: /əˈlaʊ/

Verb

allow (allows, present participle allowing; simple past and past participle allowed)

(ditransitive) 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
(transitive, catenative) To permit, to give permission to.
I will allow my son to be absent.
- 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:
  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 […]
To not bar or obstruct.
Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.
Smoking allowed only in designated areas.
(transitive) To acknowledge, accept the truth of; to concede; to accede to an opinion.
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.
(transitive) To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
to allow a sum for leakage
(transitive) To make an allowance, to take into account when making plans.
When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.
(transitive) To render physically possible.
(transitive, obsolete) To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Luke 11:48 ↗:
  Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers
(obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
(transitive, obsolete) To like; to be suited or pleased with.
(law, transitive) 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 find in favour of the objection and forbid the conduct objected to
to allow an appeal ― to decide the appeal in favour of the appellant (contrast grant leave to appeal, to permit an appeal to be heard)
(transitive, MTE, MLE) To forgo bothering with, to let slide.

Conjugation

Conjugation of allow

infinitive	(to) allow
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	allow	allowed
2nd-person singular	allow, allowest^†	allowed, allowedst^†
3rd-person singular	allows, alloweth^†	allowed
plural	allow	allowed

subjunctive	allow	allowed

imperative	allow	—

participles	allowing	allowed