• IPA: /əˈlaʊ/

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

1. (transitive) To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.

   to allow a servant his liberty;  to allow a free passage;  to allow one day for rest

2. (transitive) To acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion.

   to allow a right;  to allow a claim;  to allow the truth of a proposition

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

   To allow a sum for leakage.

4. (transitive) To grant license to; to permit; to consent to.

   To allow a son to be absent.

   Smoking allowed only in designated areas.

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →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{{...}

5. To not bar or obstruct.

   Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.

6. (intransitive) To acknowledge or concede.
7. (transitive) To take into account by making an allowance.

   When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.

8. (transitive) To render physically possible.
9. (transitive, obsolete) To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Luke 11:48 ↗:

     Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers

10. (obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
11. (transitive, obsolete) To like; to be suited or pleased with.

• allot, assign, bestow, concede, admit, let, permit, suffer, tolerate

• allowance
• disallow

• French: laisser, accorder, accorder
• German: erlauben, zulassen
• Italian: lasciare, permettere
• Portuguese: deixar, permitir
• Russian: позволя́ть
• Spanish: dejar, permitir, conceder

• German: akzeptieren
• Portuguese: aceitar
• Russian: признава́ть

• Portuguese: considerar
• Russian: принима́ть в

• French: permettre
• German: erlauben, zulassen
• Portuguese: permitir
• Russian: позволя́ть
• Spanish: permitir

• German: erlauben, zulassen
• Italian: permettere, concedere
• Portuguese: permitir
• Russian: позволя́ть
• Spanish: permitir

• German: erlauben, mit einberechnen
• Portuguese: permitir