What does disallow mean?
Word: Disallow
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Disallow means to say officially that something cannot be accepted or does not count, such as a goal or a claim.
Synonyms: refuse, ban, forbid
Antonyms: allow, accept
How do you spell disallow?
Syllables: dis - al - low
Tricky part: One s from dis, two l's from allow. Children often swap these and write dissalow.
Watch out for: dissallow, disalow, dissalow
Memory tip: Two tall goalposts stand for the two l's: the referee disallows the goal, but both posts stay standing.
Disallow in a sentence
Example 1: The referee had to disallow the goal because of a handball.
Example 2: The school may disallow phones during exams.
Example 3: The judges disallowed his last jump after he stepped over the line.
Fun Fact
In football, a goal is disallowed if the scorer was offside, even when the ball is already in the net.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
disallow
a) permit
b) welcome
c) reject
d) approve
Show answer
c) reject. To disallow something is to reject it; the other three mean letting it in.
Word Makeup
Choose the correct prefix to make a new word:
allow
a) dis
b) mis
c) un
d) im
Show answer
a) dis. Dis turns allow into a refusal.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) forbiden
b) refusal
c) disallow
d) permission
Show answer
a) forbiden. Forbidden doubles its d before en.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
wolsdial
a) disloyal
b) swallowed
c) disallow
d) dismal
Show answer
c) disallow. Disloyal needs a y, swallowed an e and dismal an m; only disallow uses all eight letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A teacher disallows calculators in a test. What does that mean?
a) students must bring their own
b) students may not use them
c) students may share them
d) students may use them for rough work
Show answer
b) students may not use them
2. The referee disallows a goal. What happens to the score?
a) it goes up by two
b) it goes back to zero
c) it stays the same
d) it goes up by one
Show answer
c) it stays the same
