permit
Usage
What are other ways to say permit?
Both verbs that imply granting or conceding the right of someone to do something, permit and allow are often interchangeable, but permit is the more positive of the two. Permit suggests formal or implied assent or authorization. Allow implies complete absence of an attempt, or even an intent, to hinder. Let is the familiar, conversational term for both allow and permit.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
California law says its voter-ID rules “shall be liberally construed to permit voters and new registrants to cast a regular ballot.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
“We cannot permit a resource so vital to be dominated by one so ruthless. And we won’t.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
“Los Angeles has been approving permits three times faster than it was before the fire. However, permit issuance continues to lag.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
It does not, for example, permit wall hangings that don’t actually exist.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
That first night I slept on it the nightmare came back, as if my conscience wouldn’t permit me to find rest while my mates still suffered.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
