disallow

verb

dis·​al·​low ˌdis-ə-ˈlau̇ 

disallowed; disallowing; disallows

transitive verb

1

: to deny the force, truth, or validity of

2

: to refuse to allow

disallowance

ˌdis-ə-ˈlau̇-ən(t)s 

noun

Synonyms

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disavow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• disown
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

Examples of disallow in a Sentence

The touchdown was disallowed because of a penalty.

disallowing the philosophical concept of free will

Recent Examples on the Web

Consider disallowing phones at the dinner table, both in the house and out in public. —Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Forty of those quotes were taken from publishers who’d disallowed OpenAI’s search crawler from accessing their site. —Wes Davis, The Verge, 3 Dec. 2024

This meant the goal was disallowed without giving referee David Coote the opportunity to review it on the pitchside monitor. —Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 25 Aug. 2024

The judge also disallowed Meta from raising as a defense that the WhatsApp acquisition benefited its strategic position towards Apple and Google. —Jody Godoy, USA TODAY, 13 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

disallow

verb

dis·​al·​low ˌdis-ə-ˈlau̇ 

: to refuse to admit or allow : reject

disallow a claim

disallowance

-ˈlau̇-ən(t)s 

noun

Legal Definition

disallow

transitive verb

dis·​al·​low ˌdi-sə-ˈlau̇ 

1

: to deny the truth, force, or validity of

disallowed the deduction

disallow a bankruptcy claim

2

: to refuse to allow

disallow payment of benefits

disallowance noun