Meaning & use
monthly allowance
Last updated
UK/ˌmʌnθli əˈlaʊəns/
US/ˌmʌnθli əˈlaʊəns/
Meaning
nouncountable
A fixed amount of money given to a person each month, usually for personal spending or living costs.
Grammar: Countable: a monthly allowance, two monthly allowances.
Patterns
- get a monthly allowance
- a monthly allowance of an amount
My parents give me a monthly allowance for books and snacks.
The student lives on a monthly allowance from his scholarship.
She saved half of her monthly allowance.
Word forms
| plural | monthly allowances |
|---|
Common combinations
- receive a monthly allowance
- Interns receive a monthly allowance for travel.
- stick to a monthly allowance
- I try to stick to my monthly allowance.
- increase the monthly allowance
- They agreed to increase the monthly allowance.
- live on a monthly allowance
- He lives on a small monthly allowance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pocket money
- Pocket money is mainly British and means money for a child, often weekly rather than monthly.
- stipend
- A stipend is a formal regular payment for work or study, with a more official feel than allowance.
- budget
- A budget is a plan for spending, whereas an allowance is the money you actually receive.
Word family
Commonly confused: monthly allowance or allowance vs salary?
monthly allowance vs allowance vs salary
A salary is payment for work, while an allowance is money given for spending or support.
Practice
What is a monthly allowance?
Choose one answer.
An allowance is money given regularly. The other options do not describe money received.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “monthly allowance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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