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

Jacob Murphy, fresh from adding another assist to his club-leading tally, hit the post in the second half, while Matheus Fernandes had a late Southampton goal disallowed. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

You’ll be asked to allow or disallow verification on a secondary device. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025

One option would be to disallow them from the blockchain, though that might cause a hard fork. —Korok Ray, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

After the break, Raphinha lobbed against the crossbar and Robert Lewandowski miscued when presented with the game’s simplest chance (although a VAR review might have disallowed the goal for offside). —Michael Cox, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 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