Allow
Allow verb - To give permission for or to approve of.
Understand and allow are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Understand" instead a verb "Allow".
Understand
Understand verb - To form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information.
Allow and understand are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Allow" instead a verb "Understand".
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- In an episode of Futurama, Nibbler zaps Leela with a beam to allow her to understand Nibblonian, which to the audience sounds like gibberish.
Source: Intelligible Unintelligible - It's ironic because he doesn't understand that basic people skills like not alienating your professor to the point where he wants to expel you, will also allow you to go far with your goals.
Source: Determinator / Film - The Old Colonel admits to this, stating that while he knows that the J-Team won't allow any harm to come to him out of a sense of morality, and is counting on it, he just can't understand why.
Source: Fan Fic / Webwork
Cite this Source
Understand and Allow. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/understand
Allow & Understand. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/understand>.
Understand or Allow. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/allow/understand.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "allow" and "understand" have occurred on timeline