allowance

noun

al·low·ance | \ ə-ˈlau̇-ən(t)s

Definition of allowance

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a share or portion allotted or granted

b : a sum granted as a reimbursement or bounty or for expenses a salary that includes a cost-of-living allowance especially : a sum regularly provided for personal or household expenses Each child receives a weekly allowance.

c : a fixed or available amount provide an allowance of time for recreation

d : a reduction from a list price or stated price a trade-in allowance

2 : an imposed handicap (as in a horse race)

3 : an allowed dimensional difference between mating parts of a machine

4 : the act of allowing something : permission

5 : the act of regarding bad behavior or a mistake as less serious or bad because of some special circumstance Some allowance should be made for her inexperience. The plan makes no allowance for bad weather.

allowance

verb

allowanced; allowancing

Definition of allowance (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 archaic : to put on a fixed allowance (as of food and drink)

2 archaic : to supply in a fixed or regular quantity

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about allowance

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Examples of allowance in a Sentence

Noun

a monthly allowance for household expenses Each of their children gets a weekly allowance of five dollars. the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C the tax allowance for married couples They performed poorly, but allowances should be made for their inexperience.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

They are expected to address a variety of questions, including how effective the cap-and-trade program has been in reducing emissions, and potential oversupply of pollution allowances in the market. — Angela Hart, sacbee, "Jerry Brown pushes California's relationship with China on economy, climate policy | The Sacramento Bee," 3 May 2018 The compensation section of Murdock's employment agreement, a copy of which was obtained by AL.com, does not contain an allowance for relocation expenses. — Roy S. Johnson, AL.com, "Suspended BJCTA executive director received $20,000 for 'relocation expenses' in 2016," 26 Apr. 2018 No one opposed the application, and on Dec. 26 the trademark office issued its preliminary approval with what is called a notice of allowance. — Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Foxconn seeks trademark for 'Flying Eagle' TV logo," 9 Mar. 2018 By contrast, Bruenig’s preferred policy of a child allowance would both require a large-scale tax increase and be dead on arrival in Congress. — Alexandra Desanctis, National Review, "No, the Ivanka–Rubio Paid-Leave Plan Wouldn’t Punish Families," 7 Feb. 2018 How much extra cash would show up in the take-home amount for individual bonus checks would depend on a variety of factors, including a person’s wages, marital status and the number of withholding allowances the person claims. — Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Fiat Chrysler shows big profit boost for 2017; workers get $5,500 each," 25 Jan. 2018 There should be some type of allowance for letting people use their money to get some type of spiritual enlightenment. — Gogo Lidz, Newsweek, "Psychics React to Kansas Bill Prohibiting Use of Welfare Money on Psychics," 8 Apr. 2015 Most rich countries have adopted a policy called a child allowance to address this phenomenon. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Kamala Harris’s new basic income-style bill is so frustratingly close to being great," 19 Oct. 2018 One popular method is to label jars for saving, spending and sharing and have your child divide gifts and allowances among them. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "The Promotion That Comes Without the Pay Raise," 22 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allowance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.