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allow

If you allow your best friend to read your diary, it means you've given him permission to do it.

The verb allow means to let someone do something. You can allow casually, like when you allow your friend to bite off a few pieces from your candy necklace, or more officially, as when a city government decides to allow dogs to be brought into restaurants. Allow can also be used to mean "admit the truth of," so you could say, "Fine, I'll allow that dogs aren't any dirtier than many people, but it's still strange seeing them in restaurants."

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: allow

1
 v
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
2
 v
give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
3
 v
allow the other (baseball) team to score
4
 v
grant as a discount or in exchange
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: allow
1

v make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

“This sealed door won't allow the water come into the basement”
Synonyms:
let, permit
Antonyms:
keep, prevent
stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state
keep
hold and prevent from leaving
show more antonyms...
Types:
pass
allow to go without comment or censure

v allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting

“We don't allow dogs here”
Synonyms:
permit, tolerate
Type of:
countenance, let, permit
consent to, give permission

v consent to, give permission

“I cannot allow you to see your exam”
Synonyms:
countenance, let, permit
grant
let have
Antonyms:
disallow, forbid, interdict, nix, prohibit, proscribe, veto
command against
Types:
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abide, bear, brook, digest, endure, put up, stand, stick out, stomach, suffer, support, tolerate
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
furlough
grant a leave to
give
allow to have or take
permit, tolerate
allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting
authorise, authorize, clear, pass
grant authorization or clearance for
admit, include, let in
allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of
favor, favour, privilege
bestow a privilege upon
decriminalise, decriminalize, legalise, legalize, legitimate, legitimatise, legitimatize, legitimise, legitimize
make legal
trust
allow without fear
admit, allow in, intromit, let in
allow to enter; grant entry to
accept, live with, swallow
tolerate or accommodate oneself to
hold still for, stand for
tolerate or bear
bear up
endure cheerfully
take lying down
suffer without protest; suffer or endure passively
take a joke
listen to a joke at one's own expense
sit out
endure to the end
pay
bear (a cost or penalty), in recompense for some action
approbate
approve or sanction officially
certificate
authorize by certificate
O.K., approve, okay, sanction
give sanction to
induct, initiate
accept people into an exclusive society or group, usually with some rite
readmit
admit again or anew
declare
authorize payments of
certify, licence, license
authorize officially
commission
charge with a task
formalise, formalize, validate
declare or make legally valid
monetise, monetize
give legal value to or establish as the legal tender of a country
repatriate
admit back into the country
readmit
admit anew
involve
engage as a participant
Type of:
accept, consent, go for
give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to

v let have

“Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison”
Synonyms:
grant
countenance, let, permit
consent to, give permission
Antonyms:
deny, refuse
refuse to let have
abnegate, deny
deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure
show more antonyms...
Types:
vouchsafe
grant in a condescending manner
allowance
put on a fixed allowance, as of food
Type of:
give
transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody

v make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain

“The evidence allows only one conclusion”
“allow for mistakes”
Synonyms:
allow for, leave, provide
admit
afford possibility
Type of:
afford, give, yield
be the cause or source of

v afford possibility

“This short story allows of several different interpretations”
Synonyms:
admit
allow for, leave, provide
make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain

v allow or plan for a certain possibility; concede the truth or validity of something

“I allow for this possibility”
Synonyms:
take into account
Types:
budget for
calculate enough money for; provide for in the budget
Type of:
calculate, count on, estimate, figure, forecast, reckon
judge to be probable
2

v give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

Synonyms:
appropriate, earmark, reserve, set aside
Type of:
allot, assign, portion
give out
3

v allow the other (baseball) team to score

Synonyms:
give up
4

v grant as a discount or in exchange

“The camera store owner allowed me $50 on my old camera”
Type of:
discount
give a reduction in price on
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