allowance
/əˈlaʊəns/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈlaʊəns/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈlau̇-ən(t)s/ (ame, mw)
allowance — noun
1. a fixed sum of money paid to someone on a regular schedule by an employer, gover
a fixed sum of money paid to someone on a regular schedule by an employer, government, or other body, usually to help cover a specific cost such as housing, travel, or meals.
Renata's company pays a monthly travel allowance of two hundred pounds.
[type] allowance: travel allowance
Soldiers stationed overseas receive a small housing allowance each month.
collocation: housing allowance
The new mothers' allowance helps pay for nappies, formula, and baby clothes.
Saoirse lives on a tight student allowance from a government grant.
His firm cut the meal allowance from fifteen dollars to ten.
文法句型
a [type] allowance
an allowance for [purpose]
用法筆記
Subject is usually an institution (employer, government, school) rather than a private individual. Often appears as a compound noun: travel allowance, meal allowance, housing allowance.
常見錯誤
2. the maximum quantity of something that rules permit you to have, use, or earn be
the maximum quantity of something that rules permit you to have, use, or earn before a charge or limit applies — for example, baggage on a flight or income before tax.
Each passenger on the flight has a baggage allowance of twenty kilograms.
collocation: baggage allowance
Greta exceeded her data allowance and had to pay an extra ten pounds.
exceed one's allowance
The personal tax allowance rises slightly every April.
Children under twelve get a smaller sugar allowance than adults each day.
Xander packed carefully so his suitcase stayed within the airline's allowance.
文法句型
a [type] allowance
exceed/within one's allowance
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is a permitted ceiling (you may use up to X), while sense 1 is a payment you receive. The allowance here is not money you get — it is a limit on what is allowed.
常見錯誤
3. a small sum of money that a parent gives a child on a regular basis, which the c
a small sum of money that a parent gives a child on a regular basis, which the child is free to spend on whatever they like.
Mia's parents give her a five-dollar allowance every Saturday morning.
give somebody an allowance
Tom saved his weekly allowance for two months to buy a skateboard.
weekly allowance
Children who do their chores earn a bigger monthly allowance in our family.
Many parents stop giving an allowance once a child gets a part-time job.
- pocket money
the usual British term for the same thing
文法句型
give somebody an allowance
weekly/monthly allowance
用法筆記
Common in American English; British speakers more often say 'pocket money' for the same idea, and 'allowance' in BrE often points to sense 1 or 2 instead.
常見錯誤
4. extra time, room, or resources that you build into a plan because you expect a d
extra time, room, or resources that you build into a plan because you expect a delay, problem, or other variable to come up.
We left at six to make allowance for traffic on the bridge.
make allowance for [delay]
The carpenter cut each plank with an allowance of two centimetres for sanding.
an allowance of [amount]
The budget includes an allowance for unexpected medical bills.
Engineers added a generous allowance for thermal expansion in the bridge design.
文法句型
make (an) allowance for [something]
用法筆記
Object must be a possible problem or variable (traffic, delays, errors, expansion). Frequently appears inside the phrase 'make (an) allowance for' — see the idiom entry for that fixed expression.
5. the willingness to be gentler with a person's mistake or bad behaviour because y
the willingness to be gentler with a person's mistake or bad behaviour because you remember a special difficulty in their situation.
The teacher made allowances for Yuki, who had only studied English for six months.
make allowances for [somebody]
Grandma made every allowance for the twins when they broke her favourite vase.
make every allowance for [somebody]
Coaches must make allowances for younger players who are still learning the rules.
His boss made every allowance for the long hours Xander had worked that week.
- leniency
softer treatment, especially in punishment
- indulgence
letting someone do as they wish, sometimes too much
- understanding
shows sympathy with the person's situation
- strictness
judging without softer treatment
文法句型
make allowances for [somebody]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural inside the phrase 'make allowances for somebody' — see the idiom entry. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 4 plans around problems, while sense 5 forgives or excuses people.
常見錯誤
allowance — verb
1. to give a person or group only a set quantity of something — typically food, dri
to give a person or group only a set quantity of something — typically food, drink, or fuel — for each day or week.
During the long voyage, the captain allowanced each sailor two cups of fresh water a day.
allowance somebody [amount]
The relief workers allowanced rice carefully so the supply would last six weeks.
allowance [resource] carefully
Mountaineers were allowanced four biscuits each evening when supplies ran low.
The army cooks allowanced sugar to one spoon per soldier at breakfast.
文法句型
allowance somebody [an amount]
用法筆記
Rare and old-fashioned; the modern verb of choice is 'ration'. You may meet 'allowance' as a verb in historical writing about ships, armies, or expeditions.