allowable

adjective

al·​low·​able ə-ˈlau̇-ə-bəl How to pronounce allowable (audio)
: permissible
allowable income tax deductions
allowably adverb

Examples of allowable in a Sentence

international travel without a passport isn't allowable
Recent Examples on the Web The allowable rent increase would be capped at 2 percent a year and must be removed from the rent 30 years after the increase became effective. Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Trump Defeats Haley In South Carolina Primary The Property The case is about the allowable charitable contribution deduction for the 2015 donation of an easement on 355 acres of raw land in Greene County Georgia to the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust. Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The change came after the small town paid out a settlement to the Arnold family of $441,000, which amounted to the maximum civil award allowable under Missouri law. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 Oral arguments in the case, known as Garland v. Cargill, focused on whether an ATF regulation banning the device was allowable under a federal law outlawing machine guns. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 Flowers for your sweetie don't count, but buying flowers for your waiting area or office space might be allowable as a deduction. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 With a second election on the ballot, the maximum allowable donation will rise from $6,600 to $13,200. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023 The work, officials said, would be done to ensure the process follows legal guidelines, including not exceeding allowable limits of herbicide use. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 The new regulations set higher allowable limits for airborne lead for some processes used to manufacture and recycle lead acid batteries. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English alowable, allowable "proper, admissible," borrowed from Anglo-French alouable, from aluer, aloer "to accept as legally valid, permit" + -able -able — more at allow

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of allowable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near allowable

Cite this Entry

“Allowable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allowable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on allowable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!