allowance

IPA/əˈlaʊəns/
KK[əlˈaʊəns]IPA/əˈlaʊəns/

allowance — 名詞

  • allowancesingular
  • allowancesplural

1. a fixed sum of money paid to someone on a regular schedule by an employer, gover

1.名詞C1
釋義

津貼;補助

機構定期發給的特定用途款項

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.

例句

Renata's company pays a monthly travel allowance of two hundred pounds.

Renata 的公司每月發兩百英鎊的差旅津貼。

[type] allowance: travel allowance

Soldiers stationed overseas receive a small housing allowance each month.

駐紮海外的士兵每個月會領到一筆住房補助。

collocation: housing allowance

常見搭配
  • travel allowance
  • housing allowance
  • meal allowance
  • clothing allowance
  • monthly allowance
同義詞
  • stipend

    more formal; often paid to students or trainees

  • subsidy

    usually government money supporting a specific activity, not personal living costs

  • grant

    typically a one-off award, not a recurring payment

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

My boss gave me an allowance to fix my car.
My boss reimbursed me for fixing the car.
'allowance' is paid regularly on a schedule, not as a one-time refund.

2. the maximum quantity of something that rules permit you to have, use, or earn be

2.名詞C1
釋義

限額;額度

規定可使用或攜帶的最大量

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.

例句

Each passenger on the flight has a baggage allowance of twenty kilograms.

這班飛機每位旅客的行李限額是二十公斤。

collocation: baggage allowance

Greta exceeded her data allowance and had to pay an extra ten pounds.

Greta 用超過她的數據限額,多繳了十英鎊。

exceed one's allowance

常見搭配
  • baggage allowance
  • tax allowance
  • data allowance
  • duty-free allowance
  • personal allowance
同義詞
  • limit

    more general; can be a hard cap, while an allowance is what's permitted up to that cap

  • quota

    stresses an assigned share, often as part of a total

  • ration

    a portion fixed in scarcity, often of food or fuel

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

I received a baggage allowance of 20kg.
I had a baggage allowance of 20kg.
you don't receive this kind of allowance; it's a ceiling, not a payment.

3. a small sum of money that a parent gives a child on a regular basis, which the c

3.名詞B2
釋義

零用錢

父母定期給孩子自由支配的小錢

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.

例句

Mia's parents give her a five-dollar allowance every Saturday morning.

Mia 的父母每週六早上給她五美元零用錢。

give somebody an allowance

Tom saved his weekly allowance for two months to buy a skateboard.

Tom 把每週的零用錢存了兩個月,買到一塊滑板。

weekly allowance

常見搭配
  • weekly allowance
  • monthly allowance
  • give an allowance
  • earn an allowance
同義詞

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

My boss gives me an allowance every week.
My boss pays me a weekly wage.
'allowance' in this sense is parent-to-child money, not work pay.

4. extra time, room, or resources that you build into a plan because you expect a d

4.名詞C2
釋義

預留量;緩衝

計畫中為意外保留的時間或餘裕

extra time, room, or resources that you build into a plan because you expect a delay, problem, or other variable to come up.

例句

We left at six to make allowance for traffic on the bridge.

我們六點就出發,預留了過橋塞車的時間。

make allowance for [delay]

The carpenter cut each plank with an allowance of two centimetres for sanding.

木匠裁每塊木板時都多留兩公分,方便日後打磨。

an allowance of [amount]

常見搭配
  • make allowance for
  • an allowance of
  • time allowance
  • safety allowance
同義詞
  • margin

    the gap between your plan and the limit; often spatial or financial

  • buffer

    extra capacity kept aside to absorb shocks

  • leeway

    freedom to act within limits; often used of time or behaviour

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

5.名詞C2
釋義

體諒;寬容

因對方處境而不嚴厲苛責

the willingness to be gentler with a person's mistake or bad behaviour because you remember a special difficulty in their situation.

例句

The teacher made allowances for Yuki, who had only studied English for six months.

Yuki 才學英語六個月,老師對她特別體諒。

make allowances for [somebody]

Grandma made every allowance for the twins when they broke her favourite vase.

雙胞胎打破奶奶最愛的花瓶時,她對他們處處體諒。

make every allowance for [somebody]

常見搭配
  • make allowances for
  • make every allowance
  • allowance for somebody
同義詞
  • leniency

    softer treatment, especially in punishment

  • indulgence

    letting someone do as they wish, sometimes too much

  • understanding

    shows sympathy with the person's situation

反義詞

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

I make allowance to my brother because he is tired.
I make allowances for my brother because he is tired.
the fixed phrase uses 'for', and 'allowances' is usually plural here.
慣用語

To include something in your plans or thinking so that it does not cause problems later.

考慮到某事

Mia made allowance for traffic and arrived early at the airport.

Did the team make allowance for possible delays in their schedule?

To accept someone's unusual behavior because they have a problem or a special reason.

體諒某人

We made allowances for Diego because he was new to the job.

Should the teacher make allowances for students with learning difficulties?

allowance — 動詞

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • travel allowance
  • housing allowance
  • tax allowance
  • baggage allowance
  • weekly allowance

常用片語

  • make allowance for
  • make allowances for
  • exceed an allowance
  • stay within an allowance
  • live on an allowance

介系詞搭配