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View synonyms for

allowance

[ uh-lou-uhns ]

noun

  1. the act of allowing.
  2. an amount or share allotted or granted.

    Synonyms:

  3. a sum of money allotted or granted for a particular purpose, as for expenses:

    Her allowance for the business trip was $200.

  4. a sum of money allotted or granted to a person on a regular basis, as for personal or general living expenses:

    The art student lived on an allowance of $600 a month.

    When I was in first grade, my parents gave me an allowance of seven dollars a week.

    Synonyms:

  5. an addition or deduction based on an extenuating or qualifying circumstance:

    an allowance for profit;

    an allowance for depreciation.

  6. acknowledgment; concession:

    the allowance of a claim.

  7. passive permission resulting from lack of interference; toleration:

    the allowance of slavery.

    Synonyms: , ,

    Antonyms: , ,

  8. Machinery. a prescribed difference in dimensions of two closely fitting mating parts with regard to minimum clearance or maximum interference. Compare tolerance ( def 6a ).


verb (used with object)

allowanced, allowancing.
  1. to place on a fixed allowance, as of food or drink.
  2. to allocate (supplies, rations, etc.) in fixed or regular amounts.

allowance

/ əˈʊəԲ /

noun

  1. an amount of something, esp money or food, given or allotted usually at regular intervals
  2. a discount, as in consideration for something given in part exchange or to increase business; rebate
  3. (in Britain) an amount of a person's income that is not subject to a particular tax and is therefore deducted before his or her liability to taxation is assessed
  4. a portion set aside to compensate for something or to cover special expenses
  5. education a salary supplement given to a teacher who is appointed to undertake extra duties and responsibilities
  6. admission; concession
  7. the act of allowing; sanction; toleration
  8. something allowed
  9. make allowances or make allowance
    usually foll by for
    1. to take mitigating circumstances into account in consideration (of)
    2. to allow (for)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to supply (something) in limited amounts
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ··Ƿ·Գ noun
  • ···Ƿ·Գ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of allowance1

1350–1400; Middle English alouance < Middle French. See allow, -ance
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. make allowance / allowances (for),
    1. to take mitigating factors or circumstances into consideration.
    2. to pardon; excuse.
    3. to reserve time, money, etc.; allow for:

      Make allowance for souvenirs on the return trip.

More idioms and phrases containing allowance

see make allowance .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

That is increasingly uncommon though, with doctors saying those allowances haven't kept up with the true cost of delivering care.

From

"They didn't come in with a big project," one source says, and many voters took a dim view of ministers' freebies and the decision on winter fuel allowance.

From

Its inhabitants are those of “there will always be an England” England: stern vicars, timid curates, lords and earls, penniless titled wastrels living on allowances from their uncles, imperious aunts, upper-crust twits.

From

If someone spends at least 35 hours a week caring for someone with an illness or disability they may be eligible for the allowance, which is currently £83.30 a week.

From

Mr Rijckaert also said that most of the prince's allowance is spent on his assistant's salary and various travel expenses.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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