allow

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• ə-lou'
  Play
• /əˈlaʊ/
  Play
• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• rhymes with -aʊ
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: AH0 L AW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin laus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin laudō Latin allaudō Old French aloer ▲ Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *stel-der. Proto-Italic *stlokos? Old Latin stlocus Latin locus ▲ Latin -ō Latin locō Latin allocō Old French aloer Anglo-Norman alouerbor. Middle English allowen English allow From Middle English allowen, alowen, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman allouer, alouer, from Medieval Latin allaudāre, merged with alouer, from Medieval Latin allocō (“to assign”). Doublet of allaud (via allaudāre) or allocate (via allocāre). The similarity with Middle English alyfen (from Old English ālīefan) and German erlauben, both from Proto-Germanic *uzlaubijaną (“to allow”) is unrelated.

273 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Afrikaans: toelaat — to let one have
• Albanian: lejoj — to let one have
• Arabic: سَمَحَ (samaḥa) — to let one have
• Arabic: أَذِنَ (ʔaḏina) — to let one have
• Armenian: թողնել (tʻoġnel) — to let one have
• Armenian: թույլ տալ (tʻuyl tal) — to let one have
• Armenian: թույլատրել (tʻuylatrel) — to let one have
• Aromanian: alas — to let one have
• Aromanian: las — to let one have
• Asturian: dexar — to let one have
• Bangi: lingisa — to let one have
• Belarusian: дазваля́ць (dazvaljácʹ) — to let one have
• Belarusian: дазво́ліць (dazvólicʹ) — to let one have
• Central Bikol: tugot — to let one have
• Bulgarian: позволя́вам (pozvoljávam) — to let one have
• Bulgarian: дава́м (davám) — to let one have
• Catalan: deixar — to let one have
• Cebuano: tugot — to let one have
• Chinese Mandarin: 讓 /让 (ràng) — to let one have
• Chinese Mandarin: 允許 /允许 (yǔnxǔ) — to let one have
• Czech: dovolovat — to let one have
• Czech: dovolit — to let one have
• Czech: povolovat — to let one have
• Czech: povolit — to let one have
• Danish: tillade — to let one have
• Dutch: toelaten — to let one have
• Dutch: toestaan — to let one have
• Estonian: lubama — to let one have
• Faroese: loyva — to let one have
• Finnish: sallia — to let one have
• Finnish: myöntää — to let one have
• French: laisser — to let one have
• French: accorder — to let one have
• Friulian: lassâ — to let one have
• Galician: deixar — to let one have
• German: erlauben — to let one have
• German: gestatten — to let one have
• Greek: παραχωρώ (parachoró) — to let one have
• Greek: χορηγώ (chorigó) — to let one have
• Greek: παρέχω (parécho) — to let one have
• Ancient Greek: ἐάω (eáō) — to let one have
• Ancient Greek: δῐ́δωμῐ (dĭ́dōmĭ) — to let one have
• Mbya Guarani: eja — to let one have
• Hebrew: הרשה (hirshá) — to let one have
• Hebrew: התיר (hitír) — to let one have
• Hebrew: אישר (ishér) — to let one have
• Hiligaynon: tugot — to let one have
• Hiligaynon: pagtugot — to let one have
• Hindi: इजाज़त देना (ijāzat denā) — to let one have
• Hungarian: enged — to let one have
• Icelandic: leyfa — to let one have
• Ido: grantar — to let one have
• Irish: tabhair — to let one have
• Italian: lasciare — to let one have
• Italian: permettere — to let one have
• Japanese: 許す (yurusu) — to let one have
• Japanese: 認める (mitomeru) — to let one have
• Japanese: 許可する (kyoka suru) — to let one have
• Japanese: 容認する (yōnin suru) — to let one have
• Khmer: អនុញ្ញាត (ʼaʼnuññaat) — to let one have
• Korean: 허락하다 (heorakhada) — to let one have
• Ladin: lascer — to let one have
• Lao: ອະນຸຍາດ (ʼa nu nyāt) — to let one have
• Lao: ໃຫ້ (hai) — to let one have
• Lao: ຍອມ (nyǭm) — to let one have
• Latgalian: ļaut — to let one have
• Latin: sinō — to let one have
• Latin: condōnō — to let one have
• Latvian: ļaut — to let one have
• Lingala: lingisa — to let one have
• Macedonian: дозволува (dozvoluva) — to let one have
• Macedonian: дозволи (dozvoli) — to let one have
• Maguindanao: sugut — to let one have
• Malay: membenarkan — to let one have
• Malayalam: അനുവദിക്കുക (anuvadikkuka) — to let one have
• Malayalam: സമ്മതിക്കുക (sammatikkuka) — to let one have
• Western Bukidnon Manobo: tuɣut — to let one have
• Māori: tuku — to let one have
• Maranao: sogot — to let one have
• Norwegian: tillate — to let one have
• Occitan: daissar — to let one have
• Occitan: laissar — to let one have
• Old English: ālīefan — to let one have
• Old English: lǣtan — to let one have
• Persian: اجازه دادن (ejâze dâdan) — to let one have
• Polish: pozwalać — to let one have
• Polish: pozwolić — to let one have
• Portuguese: deixar — to let one have
• Portuguese: permitir — to let one have
• Romanian: lăsa — to let one have
• Romanian: acorda — to let one have
• Romanian: permite — to let one have
• Romanian: admite — to let one have
• Russian: позволя́ть (pozvoljátʹ) — to let one have
• Russian: позво́лить (pozvólitʹ) — to let one have
• Russian: разреша́ть (razrešátʹ) — to let one have
• Russian: разреши́ть (razrešítʹ) — to let one have
• Sardinian: lassare — to let one have
• Sardinian: lassai — to let one have
• Serbo-Croatian: дозволити — to let one have
• Serbo-Croatian: dozvoliti — to let one have
• Sicilian: lassari — to let one have
• Slovak: dovoliť — to let one have
• Slovak: povoliť — to let one have
• Slovene: dovoliti — to let one have
• Somali: ogolaasho — to let one have
• Upper Sorbian: pušćić — to let one have
• Upper Sorbian: pušćować — to let one have
• Swahili: -ruhusu — to let one have
• Swahili: -kubalia — to let one have
• Tajik: иҷозат додан (ijozat dodan) — to let one have
• Thai: อนุญาต (à-nú-yâat) — to let one have
• Thai: ให้ (hâi) — to let one have
• Thai: ยอม (yɔɔm) — to let one have
• Tocharian B: tärk- — to let one have
• Tok Pisin: larim — to let one have
• Ottoman Turkish: براقمق (bırakmak) — to let one have
• Ukrainian: дозволя́ти (dozvoljáty) — to let one have
• Ukrainian: дозво́лити (dozvólyty) — to let one have
• Urdu: اجازت دینا (ijāzat denā) — to let one have
• Venetan: lasar — to let one have
• Vietnamese: cho phép — to let one have
• Walloon: leyî — to let one have
• Walloon: laire — to let one have
• Welsh: caniatáu — to let one have
• Zazaki: icazet dayen — to let one have
• Afrikaans: toelaat — to give permission
• Arabic: سَمَحَ بِـ (samaḥa bi-) — to give permission
• Arabic: سَمَحَ (samaḥa) — to give permission
• Azerbaijani: icazə vermək — to give permission
• Azerbaijani: izin vermək — to give permission
• Bulgarian: позволявам (pozvoljavam) — to give permission
• Bulgarian: разрешавам (razrešavam) — to give permission
• Catalan: permetre — to give permission
• Czech: dovolit — to give permission
• Czech: povolit — to give permission
• Danish: tillade — to give permission
• Dutch: toelaten — to give permission
• Dutch: toestaan — to give permission
• Esperanto: allasi — to give permission
• Esperanto: permesi — to give permission
• Finnish: sallia — to give permission
• Finnish: antaa lupa — to give permission
• French: permettre — to give permission
• German: erlauben — to give permission
• Greek: επιτρέπω (epitrépo) — to give permission
• Greek: αφήνω (afíno) — to give permission
• Haitian Creole: pèmèt — to give permission
• Hebrew: אישר (ishér) — to give permission
• Hungarian: engedélyez — to give permission
• Hungarian: megenged — to give permission
• Irish: lig do — to give permission
• Irish: ceadaigh — to give permission
• Irish: tabhair cead do — to give permission
• Italian: permettere — to give permission
• Italian: consentire — to give permission
• Japanese: 許す (yurusu) — to give permission
• Japanese: 許可する (kyoka suru) — to give permission
• Latin: sinō — to give permission
• Latin: cēdō — to give permission
• Malayalam: അനുവദിക്കുക (anuvadikkuka) — to give permission
• Māori: tuku — to give permission
• Norwegian: tillate — to give permission
• Polish: pozwolić — to give permission
• Polish: zezwolić — to give permission
• Portuguese: permitir — to give permission
• Romanian: permite — to give permission
• Romanian: îngădui — to give permission
• Romansh: lubir — to give permission
• Russian: позволя́ть (pozvoljátʹ) — to give permission
• Russian: позво́лить (pozvólitʹ) — to give permission
• Russian: разреша́ть (razrešátʹ) — to give permission
• Russian: разреши́ть (razrešítʹ) — to give permission
• Scottish Gaelic: leig le — to give permission
• Upper Sorbian: pušćić — to give permission
• Upper Sorbian: pušćować — to give permission
• Swahili: -kubalia — to give permission
• Swedish: tillåta — to give permission
• Tagalog: hayaan — to give permission
• Tamil: அனுமதி (aṉumati) — to give permission
• Tocharian B: kälm- — to give permission
• Tok Pisin: larim — to give permission
• Ukrainian: дозволя́ти (dozvoljáty) — to give permission
• Ukrainian: дозво́лити (dozvólyty) — to give permission
• Vietnamese: cho phép — to give permission
• Vietnamese: cấp phép — to give permission
• Vietnamese: cho — to give permission
• Welsh: caniatáu — to give permission
• Afrikaans: toelaat — to not bar or obstruct
• Azerbaijani: qoymaq — to not bar or obstruct
• Bulgarian: позволявам (pozvoljavam) — to not bar or obstruct
• Bulgarian: допускам (dopuskam) — to not bar or obstruct
• Danish: tillade — to not bar or obstruct
• Dutch: toestaan — to not bar or obstruct
• Finnish: sallia — to not bar or obstruct
• French: laisser — to not bar or obstruct
• French: permettre — to not bar or obstruct
• German: erlauben — to not bar or obstruct
• Greek: παραδέχομαι (paradéchomai) — to not bar or obstruct
• Hebrew: אפשר (ifshér) — to not bar or obstruct
• Hungarian: enged — to not bar or obstruct
• Hungarian: hagy — to not bar or obstruct
• Icelandic: leyfa — to not bar or obstruct
• Irish: ceadaigh — to not bar or obstruct
• Italian: permettere — to not bar or obstruct
• Italian: concedere — to not bar or obstruct
• Japanese: 許す (yurusu) — to not bar or obstruct
• Māori: tuku — to not bar or obstruct
• Polish: przyznać — to not bar or obstruct
• Portuguese: permitir — to not bar or obstruct
• Romanian: admite — to not bar or obstruct
• Russian: позволя́ть (pozvoljátʹ) — to not bar or obstruct
• Russian: позво́лить (pozvólitʹ) — to not bar or obstruct
• Russian: допуска́ть (dopuskátʹ) — to not bar or obstruct
• Russian: допусти́ть (dopustítʹ) — to not bar or obstruct
• Scottish Gaelic: leig le — to not bar or obstruct
• Swahili: -ruhusu — to not bar or obstruct
• Tok Pisin: larim — to not bar or obstruct
• Ukrainian: дозволя́ти (dozvoljáty) — to not bar or obstruct
• Ukrainian: дозво́лити (dozvólyty) — to not bar or obstruct
• Ukrainian: допуска́ти (dopuskáty) — to not bar or obstruct
• Ukrainian: допусти́ти (dopustýty) — to not bar or obstruct
• Afrikaans: aanvaar — to acknowledge the truth of
• Bulgarian: признавам (priznavam) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Danish: acceptere — to acknowledge the truth of
• Dutch: toegeven — to acknowledge the truth of
• Finnish: myöntää — to acknowledge the truth of
• Finnish: hyväksyä — to acknowledge the truth of
• German: eingestehen — to acknowledge the truth of
• Greek: παραδέχομαι (paradéchomai) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Greek: αναγνωρίζω (anagnorízo) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Hebrew: הכיר באפשרות (hikír baefsharút) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Hungarian: elfogad — to acknowledge the truth of
• Icelandic: viðurkenna — to acknowledge the truth of
• Irish: admhaigh — to acknowledge the truth of
• Italian: concedere — to acknowledge the truth of
• Malayalam: സമ്മതിക്കുക (sammatikkuka) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Polish: przyznać — to acknowledge the truth of
• Portuguese: aceitar — to acknowledge the truth of
• Russian: признава́ть (priznavátʹ) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Russian: призна́ть (priznátʹ) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Swahili: -tambua — to acknowledge the truth of
• Ukrainian: визнава́ти (vyznaváty) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Ukrainian: ви́знати (význaty) — to acknowledge the truth of
• Finnish: varautua — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Finnish: tehdä varaus — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• German: einpreisen — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• German: einkalkulieren — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Hungarian: enged — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Polish: wziąć pod uwagę — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Portuguese: considerar — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Russian: принима́ть во внима́ние (prinimátʹ vo vnimánije) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Russian: приня́ть во внима́ние (prinjátʹ vo vnimánije) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Russian: учи́тывать (učítyvatʹ) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Russian: уче́сть (učéstʹ) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Ukrainian: врахо́вувати (vraxóvuvaty) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Ukrainian: врахува́ти (vraxuváty) — to grant as a deduction or an addition
• Danish: tillade — to make allowance
• Finnish: varata — to make allowance
• Finnish: tehdä varaus — to make allowance
• Finnish: antaa alennus — to make allowance
• German: berücksichtigen — to make allowance
• German: einkalkulieren — to make allowance
• Greek: επιτρέπω (epitrépo) — to make allowance
• Hungarian: hagy — to make allowance
• Hungarian: ráhagy — to make allowance
• Hungarian: számol — to make allowance
• Hungarian: szán — to make allowance
• Polish: wziąć pod uwagę — to make allowance
• Portuguese: permitir — to make allowance
• German: ermöglichen — to render physically possible
• Hebrew: אפשר (ifshér) — to render physically possible
• Hungarian: lehetővé tesz — to render physically possible