allow: Meaning and Definition of

al•low

Pronunciation: (u-lou'), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to give permission to or for; permit: to allow a student to be absent; No swimming allowed.
  2. to let have; give as one's share; grant as one's right: to allow a person $100 for expenses.
  3. to permit by neglect, oversight, or the like: to allow a door to remain open.
  4. to admit; acknowledge; concede: to allow a claim.
  5. to take into consideration, as by adding or subtracting; set apart: to allow an hour for changing trains.
  6. to say; think.
  7. to approve; sanction.
—v.i.
  1. to permit something to happen or to exist; admit (often fol. by of): to spend more than one's budget allows; a premise that allows of only one conclusion.
  2. to make concession or provision for: to allow for breakage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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