Cambridge Cambridge English Dictionaries Online, the web's favourite learner dictionaries
  • Link to us
  • View basket
  • Help

Definition
A keyword: an important word to learn allow   Show phonetics
verb [T]
1 GIVE PERMISSION to give someone permission for something
[often passive] Smoking is not allowed in the restaurant.
Are dogs allowed in the hotel?
[+ to do sth] You are not allowed to use calculators in the exam.
[+ two objects] Patients are not allowed visitors after nine o'clock.

2 NOT PREVENT to not prevent something from happening
[+ to do sth] They have allowed the problem to get much worse.

3 MAKE POSSIBLE to make it possible for someone to do something
[+ to do sth] The extra money will allow me to upgrade my computer.

4 TIME/MONEY to plan to use a particular amount of money, time, etc for something
Allow three hours for the whole journey.

The first and last word in dictionaries