An allowance is money that is given to someone, usually on a regular basis, in order to help them pay for the things that they need.
He lives on a single parent's allowance of £70 a week. [+ of]
She gets an allowance for looking after Lillian.
Synonyms: portion, lot, share, amount More Synonyms of allowance
2. countable noun [usually poss NOUN]
A child's allowance is money that is given to him or her every week or every month by his or her parents.
[mainly US]regional note: in BRIT, use pocket money
3. countable noun
Your tax allowance is the amount of money that you are allowed to earn before you have to start paying income tax.
[British]
...those earning less than the basic tax allowance.
regional note: in AM, use personal exemption
Synonyms: concession, discount, reduction, repayment More Synonyms of allowance
4. countable noun
A particular type of allowance is an amount of something that you are allowed in particular circumstances.
Most of our flights have a baggage allowance of 44lbs per passenger. [+ of]
5.
See make allowances for sth
6.
See make allowances for sb
More Synonyms of allowance
allowance in British English
(əˈlaʊəns)
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. British 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
verb
10. (transitive)
to supply (something) in limited amounts
allowance in American English
(əˈlaʊəns)
noun
1.
the act of allowing, permitting, admitting, etc.
the allowance of a claim
2.
something allowed as a share; specif., an amount of money, food, etc. given regularly to a child, dependent, etc. or to military personnel for a specific purpose
travel allowance
3.
a reduction in the price of something in consideration of a large order or of turning in a used article, etc.
4.
the amount by which something is allowed to be more or less than stated, as to compensatefor the weight of the container, inaccuracy of machining, etc.
verb transitiveWord forms: alˈlowanced or alˈlowancing
5.
to put on an allowance or a ration
6.
to apportion economically
adjective
7.
designating a horse race in which the weight each horse must carry is set by a formula tied to the horse's past performance and earnings
Idioms:
make allowance
make allowance for
COBUILD Collocations
allowance
baggage allowance
generous allowance
monthly allowance
operational allowance
savings allowance
unused allowance
Examples of 'allowance' in a sentence
allowance
You must earn less than the personal allowance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is best for treats to be part of a daily meal allowance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The maximum investment allowed in retirement schemes has been cut both in terms of annual contributions and the lifetime allowance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The scheduled increases in the minimum wage and tax-free allowance will help.
The Sun (2016)
The 7lb age allowance he gets makes him the one to beat.
The Sun (2016)
Do I need the winter fuel allowance?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is a single payment and replaces six current benefits, including jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He deserves credit for raising the personal tax allowance and helping home buyers.
The Sun (2013)
But the changes to the investment allowance for small businesses will help them.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You also need to ensure that you waste as little of your personal allowances as possible.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What have they been doing with their winter fuel allowance?
The Sun (2006)
Make allowances for bright sunlight and glare.
Collins Traveller - Mallorca
The allowance also covers the cost of weekly return journeys to the southeast.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You will feel your best by pushing almost to the limit of your daily energy allowance.
MacIntyre, Anne M. E. Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome - How To Live With It (1989)
Which airline has the best baggage allowance in economy?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Your fruit allowance amounts to three pieces of fruit per day.
Stewart, Dr Alan & Stewart, Maryon The Vitality Diet (1990)
The amount of money that might be produced by means testing the winter fuel allowance is tiny.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There is a curious and perverse incentive in the very concept of a lifetime allowance.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They can appease some of these birds by bringing in a transferable tax allowance for married couples.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Does the justice system make allowance for such young people when they appear in court?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We would give them $3 a week allowance.
Christianity Today (2000)
This has tax benefits because they are making the most of their personal tax-freeallowances.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Why should they seek work on a jobseeker 's allowance?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The allowance had helped her to buy an automatic, adapted car that gave her independence.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There could be additional allowances for business assets, as now.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Or raise the income tax personal allowance to more than 10,000.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Spending the week on an allowance is something that I am going to try to do from now on.
The Sun (2012)
Some savers are also losing money by not using tax-free allowances such as Isas.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
My winter fuel allowance is recorded: why shouldn't it be taxed?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
All related terms of 'allowance'
age allowance
an income tax allowance given to taxpayers aged 65 or over
car allowance
an amount of money that an employer gives an employee who needs to use his or her car as part of his or job
tax allowance
(in the UK) the amount a person can earn without being subject to income tax
make allowance
to take circumstances , limitations , etc. into consideration
rent allowance
money given to individuals by the government that subsidises the cost of renting a property
road allowance
land reserved by the government to be used for public roads
baggage allowance
A particular type of allowance is an amount of something that you are allowed in particular circumstances .
capital allowance
the practice of allowing a certain amount of money spent by a company on fixed assets to be taken off the profits of the company before tax is imposed
clothing allowance
an amount of money to compensate for the purchase of clothes for work, school , etc
family allowance
(in some countries) a regular government payment to the parents of children up to a certain age
generous allowance
A particular type of allowance is an amount of something that you are allowed in particular circumstances .
mileage allowance
the number of miles allowed to be travelled on a rented vehicle such as a car during the period it is rented or leased
mobility allowance
an allowance paid by the government to help people who have limited mobility
monthly allowance
An allowance is money that is given to someone, usually on a regular basis , in order to help them pay for the things that they need.
personal allowance
the amount of money you are allowed to earn each year without paying tax
savings allowance
Your tax allowance is the amount of money that you are allowed to earn before you have to start paying income tax.
unused allowance
Your tax allowance is the amount of money that you are allowed to earn before you have to start paying income tax.
attendance allowance
(in Britain) a tax-free noncontributory welfare benefit for people over 65 years old who are so severely disabled that they need frequent attention or continual supervision for a period of six months or more
capitation allowance
an amount of money given to a school based on the number of students it has
dependency allowance
an allowance paid by a government to a person who cares for dependants
depletion allowance
a tax allowance granted in certain industries , such as the oil and gas industries, to compensate for the depletion of the oil, gas, etc owned by the company
disability allowance
an amount of money paid by a government to people who are unable to work because of a disability
jobseeker's allowance
(in Britain) a National Insurance or social security payment for unemployed people; replaced unemployment benefit in 1996
maintenance allowance
money that is given to someone, usually on a regular basis , in order to help them pay for the things that they need
make allowance for
to forgive or excuse because of mitigating factors
maternity allowance
(in the British National Insurance scheme ) a payment made to a pregnant woman who usually works but does not qualify for statutory maternity pay, normally from 11 weeks before confinement for a period of 18 weeks
operational allowance
An allowance is money that is given to someone, usually on a regular basis , in order to help them pay for the things that they need.
relocation allowance
payment made by an employer or a government agency to cover removal expenses and other costs incurred by an employee who is required to take up employment elsewhere
separation allowance
an allowance paid to a member of the military when they are forced to be apart from their family due to their military duties
subsistence allowance
an advance paid to an employee before his or her pay begins
weighting allowance
a factor by which some quantity is multiplied in order to make it comparable with others
entertainment allowance
the money paid to employees to cover the cost of meals and other entertainment incurred while doing their job
responsibility allowance
payment made to somebody who has special responsibilities
allowance for bad debts
Allowance for bad debt is a provision made in a company's accounts which recognizes that some debts will not be able to be collected .
cost-of-living allowance
an additional payment to an employee which takes account of the cost of living
disability living allowance
(in Britain) a tax-free allowance made by the government to people aged 16 or under who have difficulty in walking or need help with personal care
Enterprise Allowance Scheme
(formerly in Britain ) a scheme to provide a weekly allowance to an unemployed person who wishes to set up a business and is willing to invest a specified amount in it during its first year
recommended daily allowance
the amount of something (such as fat , salt , alcohol etc) officially suggested by medical experts as being appropriate or safe to consume each day
recommended dietary allowance
the amount of an essential nutrient , as a vitamin or mineral, that has been established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences as adequate to meet the average daily nutritional needs of most healthy persons according to age group and sex
Chinese translation of 'allowance'
allowance
(əˈlauəns)
n(c)
(= welfare payment) 津贴(貼) (jīntiē) (项, xiàng)
(= allocation) 限额(額) (xiàn'é)
(for expenses) 补(補)助 (bǔzhù) (份, fèn)
(US) 零用钱(錢) (língyòngqián)
英 = pocket money
tax allowance免税(稅)额(額) (miǎnshuì'é)
to make allowances for[thing, situation]顾(顧)及到 (gùjí dào) [person]考虑(慮)到 (kǎolǜ dào)
Nearby words of
allowance
allow 28 days for delivery
allow for
allow of
allowance
alloy
ally
almighty
Related terms of
allowance
tax allowance
baggage allowance
1 (noun)
I weighed out my allowance of sugar.
Synonyms
portion
his portion of the inheritance
lot
The receivers are keen to sell the stores as one lot.
share
I have had more than my share of adventures.
amount
I still do a certain amount of work for them.
measure
The colonies were claiming a larger measure of self-government.
grant
My application for a grant has been rejected.
pension
struggling by on a widow's pension
subsidy
They've slashed state subsidies.
quota
The quota of four tickets per person had been reduced to two.
allocation
During rationing we had a sugar allocation.
stint
a five-year stint in Hong Kong
annuity
allotment
His meagre allotment of gas had to be saved for emergencies.
remittance
stipend
He was under considerable pressure to justify his lavish stipend.
apportionment
the apportionment of resources
2 (noun)
Definition
an amount of money given at regular intervals
The boy was given an allowance for his own needs.
Synonyms
pocket money
grant
fee
How much will the solicitor's fee be?
payment
It is reasonable to expect proper payment for this work.
consideration
He does odd jobs for a consideration.
ration
The meat ration was down to one pound per person per week.
handout
remittance
Please enclose your remittance.
3 (noun)
those earning less than the basic tax allowance
Synonyms
concession
We don't know how long the government will allow these tax concessions to continue.
discount
You often get a discount on discontinued goods.
reduction
Reductions of 10-15 per cent are common on these package holidays.
repayment
deduction
your gross income, before tax and insurance deductions
rebate
a tax rebate
idioms
See make allowances for someone
See make allowances for something
Additional synonyms
in the sense of allocation
During rationing we had a sugar allocation.
Synonyms
allowance,
share,
measure,
grant,
portion,
quota,
lot,
ration,
stint,
stipend
in the sense of allotment
His meagre allotment of gas had to be saved for emergencies.