allot

verb

al·​lot ə-ˈlät How to pronounce allot (audio)
allotted; allotting

transitive verb

1
: to assign as a share or portion
allot 10 minutes for the speech
2
: to distribute by or as if by lot
allot seats to the press
allotter noun

Examples of allot in a Sentence

Each speaker will be allotted 15 minutes. The newspaper will allot a full page to each of the three mayoral candidates.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An eye poke late in the third round paused the contest for the full five minutes Cejudo was allotted to recover from the foul. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 The exceptions were Kentucky and Vermont, which received around 3 percent of the seats in the House, and Maine, which had about 4 percent of the total after Congress allotted the new state seven of Massachusetts's previous 20 seats. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 26 Feb. 2025 The Armed Services Committee could propose $150 billion in new spending, while the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee would be allotted $20 billion and the Environment and Public Works Committee $1 billion. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2025 And the court unanimously ruled that Nixon had no authority to spend less than Congress had allotted. Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for allot

Word History

Etymology

Middle English alotten, borrowed from Anglo-French aloter, from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + -loter, verbal derivative of lot "lot, portion, share," borrowed from Old Low Franconian *hlota-, going back to Germanic *hluta- — more at lot entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of allot was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Allot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allot. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

allot

verb
al·​lot ə-ˈlät How to pronounce allot (audio)
allotted; allotting
: to assign as a share or portion
allot 10 minutes for the speech

More from Merriam-Webster on allot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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