allow for

phrasal verb

allowed for; allowing for; allows for
1
: to think about or plan for (something that will or might happen in the future)
When purchasing property, the company should allow for possible future growth/expansion.
2
: to consider (something) when one makes a calculation
The total distance, allowing for detours, is about 10 miles.
If you allow for inflation, he's actually earning less money now than he was 10 years ago.
3
: to make (something) possible
The design of the system allows for easy upgrades.

Examples of allow for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The legislation would also impose sanctions on Iran, and another provision would allow for the selling off of frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's fight. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2024 With this in mind, Danda suggests parents keep their comments brief, which allows for more of a back-and-forth discussion and prevents the pitfall of the discussion from turning into a lecture. Mia Taylor, Parents, 18 Apr. 2024 In 2022, DeSantis signed HB 1467, which required elementary schools to provide a searchable list of the books accessible to students in libraries or classrooms and allow for public comment on all new materials. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2024 In addition to finding unhealthy levels of chemicals used by farmers to control bugs, fungi and weeds, one food — green beans — had residues of a pesticide that hasn't been allowed for use on vegetables in the U.S. for more than a decade. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024 State officials estimated that the local agencies’ plan would allow for continued declines in groundwater levels that would put about 700 domestic wells at risk of drying up. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024 Keep in mind that more versatile sarongs that can be used as dresses and shawls will have extra feet of material, allowing for the utmost flexibility. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024 Several states allow for recreational marijuana use, but Texas is not one of them. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024 Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production restored the film, with Lindsay-Hogg’s support, allowing for its rerelease. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allow for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Allow for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allow%20for. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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