1
as in permits
to give permission for or to approve of
flash photography is not allowed inside the church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lets
to give permission to
a boarding school that does not allow students to go on weekend trips without written permission
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tolerates
to fail to prevent (some behavior on someone's part) especially from neglect or indifference
only a lazy gardener would allow the weeds to grow that high
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in admits
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
I'll allow I probably said more than I should have
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in allots
to give as a share or portion
allowed each camper one match to light his fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in enables
to make able or possible
a patient's canceled appointment allowed the doctor to squeeze in a few extra phone calls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in reflects
to make a statement of one's opinion
he allowed that their new house looked very nice
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in believes
chiefly Southern & Midland
to have as an opinion
people in these parts allow that everyone is entitled to one mistake in life, even if it's a doozy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in intends
chiefly Southern & Midland
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
I allow to go hunting before the season is over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of allows
The governor is targeting a program called 287(g), which allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement to carry out some immigration enforcement duties.
—
Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Borrower Defense is a discharge program for federal student loans that allows borrowers to request cancellation on the basis of certain forms of school misconduct, such as misrepresenting admissions selectivity or program costs, or lying about graduate earnings and career prospects.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The program allows affordable housing developers to apply for financing and prioritizes projects that are near wildfire burn areas, ready for immediate construction.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The action also authorizes the use of disaster emergency funds and allows the OEM to mobilize state resources, make contracts and awards using emergency procurement procedures and encumber and expend funds as determined by the director of the OEM.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Similar to the tests and fits on the Artemis 2 rocket system, the suit-up process allows the crew and NASA to find any small issues that could become serious later on and fix them accordingly.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
This allows Crystal International to optimize inventory management and enable just-in-time delivery—for instance, fabric transfer time is cut by up to 75 percent using the system.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
In the Watson case, the justices are considering the legality of a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received up to five days later.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026
The process allows regulators to exchange experience and provide consolidated feedback to the developer while each country retains full responsibility for its own licensing decisions.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Borrower Defense is a discharge program for federal student loans that allows borrowers to request cancellation on the basis of certain forms of school misconduct, such as misrepresenting admissions selectivity or program costs, or lying about graduate earnings and career prospects.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The program allows affordable housing developers to apply for financing and prioritizes projects that are near wildfire burn areas, ready for immediate construction.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The action also authorizes the use of disaster emergency funds and allows the OEM to mobilize state resources, make contracts and awards using emergency procurement procedures and encumber and expend funds as determined by the director of the OEM.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Similar to the tests and fits on the Artemis 2 rocket system, the suit-up process allows the crew and NASA to find any small issues that could become serious later on and fix them accordingly.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
This allows Crystal International to optimize inventory management and enable just-in-time delivery—for instance, fabric transfer time is cut by up to 75 percent using the system.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
In the Watson case, the justices are considering the legality of a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received up to five days later.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026
The process allows regulators to exchange experience and provide consolidated feedback to the developer while each country retains full responsibility for its own licensing decisions.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allows
Verb
-
Understand what a warrant permits ICE doesn’t need a warrant to access areas that are open to the public, such as lobbies and parking lots.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In a release, Delta said its teams plan to resume operations as long as the weather permits.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, a two-way contract is a deal that lets a player split time between an NBA team and its G League affiliate while remaining under one contract with the NBA team.—
Rahat Huq,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Part of the answer seems to be more brands willing to make early commitments that actually matter (and not just slapping logos on things) but investing in the media infrastructure that lets fans watch and follow women’s sports in the first place.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This is because its shell dissipates mechanical energy and tolerates nanoparticle inclusion in ways that synthetic materials seek to emulate for aerospace, armor and protective coating applications.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
This low-maintenance shrub tolerates salt, drought, and heat.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Government admits failures of Army pilots A few legal revelations have been unveiled in the weeks leading up to the board meeting, which could create longer term impact on the Army and other agencies involved.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Mindy admits the hardest part has been navigating the logistics, including the financial and ownership decisions, and making sure everyone feels comfortable.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When a team allots minutes to so many young players simultaneously, lapses in concentration and on-court mistakes are bound to happen.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The company’s focus on efficient and autonomous ship manufacturing and mature supply chain enables high volume, low cost delivery of commercial and defense maritime vehicles, in surface and sub-surface environments (currently 95% of commercial ship-building occurs in Asia).—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Higher connectivity enables richer dynamics and more realistic models.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The project also reflects Beijing’s broader effort to anchor long-term energy security with low-carbon baseload power.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
According to Leo Park, founder of Seoul Beauty Club, the global rise of K-Beauty and J-Beauty reflects something far deeper than aesthetics.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The good news is that they’ve been exposed as liars and no one except their fellow authoritarians believes them anymore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Amazon believes that its willingness to fail is a competitive advantage and its dominance in e-commerce proves the point.—
Richard Kestenbaum,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Allows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allows. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
