allocate

verb

al·​lo·​cate ˈa-lə-ˌkāt 

allocated; allocating

transitive verb

1

: to apportion for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things : distribute

allocate tasks among human and automated components

2

: to set apart or earmark : designate

allocate a section of the building for special research purposes

allocatable

ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tə-bəl 

adjective

allocation

ˌa-lə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

allocator

ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• allot
• allow
• apportion
• assign
• distribute
• lot
• ration

Examples of allocate in a Sentence

Money from the sale of the house was allocated to each of the children.

We need to determine the best way to allocate our resources.

Have enough funds been allocated to finance the project?

Recent Examples on the Web

Unclaimed winnings in the multi-state lottery game don't go to waste; they are returned to participating states, which allocate the funds based on their respective lottery laws. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

But now that the number of people at risk is increasing, and the World Health Organization is indicating a high risk to public health in the Americas, Navarro hopes that authorities will finally allocate more resources to study it. —Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024

At the same time, investment in social housing has declined, with most regions allocating less than 0.5% of GDP. —Anacláudia Rossbach, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

Washington has allocated $12 million to fight the invaders, Oregon encourages crabbers to harvest up to 35 of them a day. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin allocātus, past participle of allocāre "to place, stow, hire out, place on hire, allow, admit, credit," from Latin ad- ad- + locāre "to place, situate" — more at locate

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing allocate

• sub-allocate

Kids Definition

allocate

verb

al·​lo·​cate ˈal-ə-ˌkāt 

allocated; allocating

1

: to divide and distribute for a special reason or to particular persons or things

allocate funds among charities

2

: to set apart for a particular purpose

allocate materials for a project

allocation

ˌal-ə-ˈkā-shən 

noun