Allow and Lock out

Opposite meaning terms

Allow verb - To give permission for or to approve of.

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Lock out is an antonym for allow.

Nearby Words: allowance, allowable, allowing

Lock out verb - Prevent employees from working during a strike.

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Allow is an antonym for lock out in topics: block, free, expel.

Trebek reportedly found the buzzer system a nuisance, and many contestants were screwed over by knee-jerk buzz-ins, so the buzzers were re-tooled to allow a ring-in only after the clue was finished, and temporarily lock out the contestant if he or she rings in too soon.

Source: Early Installment Weirdness / Game Shows

Cite this Source

Lock out and Allow. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/lock_out

Allow & Lock out. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/lock_out>.

Lock out or Allow. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/lock_out.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "allow" and "lock out" have occurred on timeline