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Afford vs. Allow — What's the Difference?

Afford vs. Allow — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Afford and Allow

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Afford

To have the financial means for; bear the cost of
Able to afford a new car.

Allow

To let do or happen; permit
We allow smoking only in restricted areas.

Afford

To manage to spare or give up
Can't afford an hour for lunch.

Allow

To permit the presence of
No pets are allowed inside.

Afford

To manage or bear without disadvantage or risk to oneself
Can afford to be tolerant.
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Allow

To permit to have
Allow oneself a little treat.

Afford

To make available or have as a necessary feature; provide
A tree that affords ample shade.
A sport affording good exercise.

Allow

To make provision for; assign
The schedule allows time for a coffee break.

Afford

To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; to be able or rich enough.
I think we can afford the extra hour it will take.
We can only afford to buy a small car at the moment.

Allow

To plan for in case of need
Allow two inches in the fabric for shrinkage.

Afford

(obsolete) To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting or expending, with profit, or without too great a loss.
Alfred affords his goods cheaper than Bantock.

Allow

To grant as a discount or in exchange
Allowed me 20 dollars on my old typewriter.

Afford

(rare) To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue.
Grapes afford wine.
Olives afford oil.
The earth affords fruit.
The sea affords an abundant supply of fish.

Allow

To admit; concede
I allowed he was right.

Afford

To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish.
A good life affords consolation in old age.

Allow

To think; suppose
"We allow he's straight" (American Speech).

Afford

To give forth; to supply, yield, or produce as the natural result, fruit, or issue; as, grapes afford wine; olives afford oil; the earth affords fruit; the sea affords an abundant supply of fish.

Allow

To assert; declare
Mother allowed that we'd better come in for dinner.

Afford

To give, grant, or confer, with a remoter reference to its being the natural result; to provide; to furnish; as, a good life affords consolation in old age.
His tuneful Muse affords the sweetest numbers.
The quiet lanes . . . afford calmer retreats.

Allow

To offer a possibility; admit
The poem allows of several interpretations.

Afford

To offer, provide, or supply, as in selling, granting, expending, with profit, or without loss or too great injury; as, A affords his goods cheaper than B; a man can afford a sum yearly in charity.

Allow

To take a possibility into account; make allowance
In calculating profit, retailers must allow for breakage and spoilage.

Afford

To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; - with an auxiliary, as can, could, might, etc.; to be able or rich enough.
The merchant can afford to trade for smaller profits.
He could afford to sufferWith those whom he saw suffer.

Allow

(transitive) To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.
To allow a servant his liberty;
To allow a free passage;
To allow one day for rest

Afford

Be able to spare or give up;
I can't afford to spend two hours with this person

Allow

(transitive) To acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion.
To allow a right;
To allow a claim;
To allow an appeal
To allow the truth of a proposition

Afford

Be the cause or source of;
He gave me a lot of trouble
Our meeting afforded much interesting information

Allow

(transitive) To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
To allow a sum for leakage.

Afford

Have the financial means to do something or buy something;
We can't afford to send our children to college
Can you afford this car?

Allow

(transitive) To grant license to; to permit; to consent to.
To allow a son to be absent.
Smoking allowed only in designated areas.

Afford

Afford access to;
The door opens to the patio
The French doors give onto a terrace

Allow

To not bar or obstruct.
Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.

Allow

(transitive) To take into account by making an allowance.
When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.

Allow

(transitive) To render physically possible.

Allow

To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.

Allow

(obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.

Allow

To like; to be suited or pleased with.

Allow

To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).
To allow an objection, to find in favour of the objection and forbid the conduct objected to; to allow an appeal, to decide the appeal in favour of the appellant (contrast grant leave to appeal, to permit an appeal to be heard).

Allow

To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
Ye allow the deeds of your fathers.
We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning.

Allow

To like; to be suited or pleased with.
How allow you the model of these clothes?

Allow

To sanction; to invest; to intrust.
Thou shalt be . . . allowed with absolute power.

Allow

To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have; as, to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest.
He was allowed about three hundred pounds a year.

Allow

To own or acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion; as, to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow the truth of a proposition.
I allow, with Mrs. Grundy and most moralists, that Miss Newcome's conduct . . . was highly reprehensible.

Allow

To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; esp. to abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for leakage.

Allow

To grant license to; to permit; to consent to; as, to allow a son to be absent.

Allow

To admit; to concede; to make allowance or abatement.
Allowing still for the different ways of making it.

Allow

Make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen;
This permits the water to rush in
This sealed door won't allow the water come into the basement
This will permit the rain to run off

Allow

Consent to, give permission;
She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband
I won't let the police search her basement
I cannot allow you to see your exam

Allow

Let have;
Grant permission
Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison

Allow

Give or assign a share of money or time to a particular person or cause;
I will earmark this money for your research

Allow

Make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain;
This leaves no room for improvement
The evidence allows only one conclusion
Allow for mistakes
Leave lots of time for the trip
This procedure provides for lots of leeway

Allow

Allow or plan for a certain possibility; concede the truth or validity of something;
I allow for this possibility
The seamstress planned for 5% shrinkage after the first wash

Allow

Afford possibility;
This problem admits of no solution
This short story allows of several different interpretations

Allow

Allow the other (baseball) team to score;
Give up a run

Allow

Grant as a discount or in exchange;
The camera store owner allowed me $50 on my old camera

Allow

Allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting;
We don't allow dogs here
Children are not permitted beyond this point
We cannot tolerate smoking in the hospital

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