Allowable means permitted or acceptable according to rules, laws, or standards. If something is allowable, you're allowed to do it without breaking the rules or getting in trouble.

In a board game, an allowable move is one that follows the game's rules: you can make that move without anyone calling you out for cheating. In school, bringing a calculator might be allowable for one test but not for another. The teacher decides what's allowable based on what skills they want you to practice. In soccer, using your hands is allowable only for the goalkeeper, while all other players must use their feet and head.

The word appears often in official settings like courts, sports, and business. A judge might rule that certain evidence is allowable in a trial, meaning it can be presented to the jury. Engineers calculate the allowable weight a bridge can safely hold. The allowable amount isn't the absolute maximum before disaster strikes, but rather a safe limit with room for error.

Something can be allowable without being required. Your teacher might say that working with a partner is allowable on a project, meaning you can work together if you choose, but you don't have to. Allowable creates a boundary: inside it, you're free to act; outside it, you're breaking the rules.