allot

verb

al·​lot ə-ˈlät 

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

Synonyms

• allocate
• allow
• apportion
• assign
• distribute
• lot
• ration

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

The parcel was allotted to her in 1891 through the Dawes Act, which allowed the federal government to break up tribal land. —Nick Oxford, New York Times, 21 May 2025

In the district where the Cozy Inn is located, businesses are allotted three square feet of signage per linear foot of street frontage, the Salina Post reported. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2025

There should be transparency for the process of how to allot funding. —Rob Stein, NPR, 13 May 2025

In practical terms, that means that any unsold inventory from the roughly 2 minutes an hour allotted to YouTube is not made available to programmers for repurchase so that it can be used for national spots. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 May 2025

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

Rhymes for allot

• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot
• distraught

Kids Definition

allot

verb

al·​lot ə-ˈlät 

allotted; allotting

: to assign as a share or portion

allot 10 minutes for the speech