Allow and Restrain

Allow

Allow verb - To give permission for or to approve of.
Usage example: flash photography is not allowed inside the church

Restrain is an antonym for allow.

Nearby Words: allowance, allowable, allowing

Restrain

Restrain verb - To keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression).

Allow is an antonym for restrain in hold back topic.

Nearby Words: restraint, restricted, restraining

Common collocations

ability allow ability restrain ability
power allow power restrain power
man allow man restrain man
people allow people restrain people
Other words: way, powers, girls.

Both words in one sentence

  • Moment Killer Some other robots finally physically restrain the intruder long enough to allow the couple to clinch.
    Source: Moment Killer
  • It was first used to restrain Blaster when he went AWOL from Grimlock's rather unheroic leadership style but later to allow the Autobots to temporarily use Blast Off for transport.
  • Tabletop Game / Ars Magica Appeal to Force: The Order of Hermes tries to restrain this, but the institutions of certamen and Wizard's War allow for magi to settle matters by force of arms if a Tribunal doesn't act.
Cite this Source
Restrain and Allow. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/restrain
Allow & Restrain. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/restrain>.
Restrain or Allow. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/restrain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "allow" and "restrain" have occurred on timeline