allocate

American  

[al-uh-kayt] / ˈæl əˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• allocates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• allocated,
  past participle,  past
• allocating
  present participle

1. 

   to set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot.

   to allocate funds for new projects.

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allocate British  

/ ˈæləˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to assign or allot for a particular purpose

2. a less common word for locate

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Synonym Usage

See assign.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• allocator
  noun
• deallocate
  verb (used with object)
• reallocate
  verb (used with object)
• allocatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• allocating
  present
• allocated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• allocate
  simple
• allocates
  simple
• have allocated
  perfect
• has allocated
  perfect
• am allocating
  progressive
• are allocating
  progressive
• is allocating
  progressive
• have been allocating
  perfect progressive
• has been allocating
  perfect progressive

Past

• allocated
  simple
• had allocated
  perfect
• was allocating
  progressive
• were allocating
  progressive
• had been allocating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will allocate
  simple
• will have allocated
  perfect
• will be allocating
  progressive
• will have been allocating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of allocate

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin allocātus (past participle of allocāre ), equivalent to al- al- + loc(us) “place” + -ātus -ate ¹

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Explanation

To allocate is to set aside a certain amount of money for an expense. You usually hear about the government allocating funds for education or the military, but you may personally allocate some of your allowance to buying comic books. Aside from money, a common thing to allocate is time: "The old woman in the shoe had so many children she could only allocate 2.7 minutes per day to talk to each one individually." Resources are also often allocated. Teachers, for example, are continuously allocating their year's supply of resources so they don't run out of glue sticks and paper before the end of the school year.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allocate allocates allocated allocating

“This decision will optimize our store network and allocate resources more effectively to better serve our customers,” the company said in an email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

More than two-fifths of global insurers now allocate over 15% of their investment portfolios to private markets, the survey says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Overall, the results showed that MTCH2 is a powerful regulator of how cells allocate nutrients between energy production and other biological needs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

The chancellor plans to allocate the money for a full feasibility study on the possibility for a bid for a "Northern Games".

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

It’s easy to allocate resources when everyone gets the same thing, but everything is more varied at the Dauntless compound.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

France's online platform that allocates places in higher education, Parcoursup, is another sore point.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The sample budget that includes saving for retirement allocates 22% of gross income for housing.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Accounting rules dictate that companies report segments based on how the “chief operating decision maker” assesses performance and allocates resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a motion to hire a consultant to reevaluate how it allocates funds collected via a property tax instituted by Measure B, a 2002 ballot initiative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The more commodified and restricted our access to information, the less efficient the operation of the market, the more poorly it allocates resources in our society.

From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle

This frequency is internationally allocated for industrial, scientific, and medical applications.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Regulators were empowered to reduce prices at each hospital as necessary to bring total revenue to allocated levels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Tenney, of the Putnam County Development Authority, was one of local officials who spoke out against earlier versions of the law that allocated nothing to local governments.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Jails: In 2020, 57% of county voters approved Measure J. This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

In business, education, science, and so forth, most productivity is determined by an evaluation of employees or students, and funding is often allocated based on that assessment.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Keep it as an emergency reserve and work on allocating some of your monthly cash flow toward your debt.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

The municipality, he alleged, was increasingly allocating public buildings and resources to the ultra-Orthodox community.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The motion calls for allocating millions of dollars annually to fully fund nine county-run self-help legal centers that assist people navigating the restraining order process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Unhappy with the US-government run September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Charles successfully pressured the authorities into allocating funds more fairly and to more people.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Clearly allocating a specific day for rest during the week wasn’t such a bad idea.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

• allot
• apportion
• appropriate
• designate
• earmark
• give
• set aside

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