ALLOWS Synonyms: 291 Similar and Opposite Words

allows

verb

present tense third-person singular of allow

as in permits

to give permission for or to approve of flash photography is not allowed inside the church

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Relevance

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as in lets

to give permission to a boarding school that does not allow students to go on weekend trips without written permission

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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

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as in admits

to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly I'll allow I probably said more than I should have

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as in allots

to give as a share or portion allowed each camper one match to light his fire

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as in enables

to make able or possible a patient's canceled appointment allowed the doctor to squeeze in a few extra phone calls

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as in reflects

to make a statement of one's opinion he allowed that their new house looked very nice

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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

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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

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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 restricted operations status, which the department introduced in August amid flare-ups in the war with Iran, allows embassies to reduce staffing and services without fully suspending operations. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Breaking the law can trigger Boise’s nuisance abatement process, which allows city staff to come in and clear the problem, possibly billing a property owner for associated costs. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2026 Owning the Discover payment network allows the company to collect more of the fees merchants pay when customers use their cards — like American Express , which issues cards and owns its payment network. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 In a separate case, the justices will examine whether parents have the right to challenge a state law that allows runaway teens to receive gender-affirming care without parental consent. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026 State law allows a penalty of up to $5,000 per violation and directs that all of the money go to New Mexico's school system, Torrez told reporters after the verdict. — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 The approach allows manufacturing techniques to evolve alongside the robot’s mechanical design. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 The platform’s new Preferred Sources feature allows users to select outlets to prioritize in their search results and Google News feeds so that whenever major Hollywood news breaks, our stories will pop up first. — The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026 State law allows cities of Roseville’s size to establish council salaries of $2,550 per month, although the city’s charter must be amended by voters before the new compensation rules can take effect. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for allows

Verb

According to police, nobody had sought permission for the Mumbai event, and Azad Maidan is the sole venue where the Bombay High Court permits protests in the city.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
The policy permits athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women’s teams under specified conditions.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of permits

Verb

In-person early voting began on Friday, which lets Minnesotans cast their ballot and put it straight into a voting machine.

— Aki Nace, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Much like Parton, Judd lets her actions speak louder than her words, and one of the causes closest to her heart is helping military service members.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of lets

Verb

Scientists have long marveled at how the human body tolerates extreme heat — and what that means for our health.

— Will Stone, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
That also suggests the league accepts, or at least tolerates, the flag-heavy officiating that has come to define the early months of the season.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tolerates

Verb

Big 12 admits end-of-game error The Big 12 issued a statement acknowledging its officials erred by not allowing Notre Dame one more play when the game clock showed one second remained when CJ Carr’s incomplete pass hit the ground on the final play.

— Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
The ongoing legal troubles compounded the stress the Hollywood couple was already dealing with and things almost took a really wrong turn, Mangianello admits.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of admits

Verb

Hinson said the bill’s reductions to Medicaid spending for Iowa will be offset by the Rural Health Transformation Program, which allots $50 billion divided among all 50 states over the next five years.

— Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of allots

Verb

Blue Origin’s expansion reflects the infrastructure demands of a higher launch cadence.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
The bottom-barrel sentiment also reflects a buildup of workers having to endure six years filled with crises, including a global pandemic, Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor said at the time of the report’s release in late September.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026