allocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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allocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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allocated,
past participle, past
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allocating
present participle
verb
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to assign or allot for a particular purpose
-
a less common word for locate
Synonym Usage
See assign.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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allocatornoun
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deallocateverb (used with object)
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reallocateverb (used with object)
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allocatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allocatesimple
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allocatessimple
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have allocatedperfect
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has allocatedperfect
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am allocatingprogressive
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are allocatingprogressive
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is allocatingprogressive
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have been allocatingperfect progressive
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has been allocatingperfect progressive
Past
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allocatedsimple
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had allocatedperfect
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was allocatingprogressive
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were allocatingprogressive
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had been allocatingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing allocate
Grade 9, List 6
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Nothing But the Truth
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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As for the Port of Los Angeles, the amendment would require the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners to annually allocate a portion of the harbor’s operating income to investments in waterfront public access projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
It would allocate “global budgets” to institutional medical providers—limiting them to lump sums to cover operating expenses—instead of allowing them to get more revenue for each additional patient they treat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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
This week, Quentin Fottrell — The Moneyist — attempted to mediate a dispute between a married couple, over how to allocate their cash: Should they pay down debt, or invest?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Nor would he allocate good land to one man every year and bad land to another; rather, he would share these good things amongst all the people who lived over in that place.
From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith
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
The program allocates $135 million to provide incentives, with participating automakers matching the funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Situational attracted an investment from Jane Street, the big quant-trading firm that rarely allocates capital to outside money managers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The San Francisco record is very precise, since it allocates each neophyte to his rancheria, or at least to the local region of his origin.
From The Aboriginal Population of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California by Sherburne Friend Cook
This frequency is internationally allocated for industrial, scientific, and medical applications.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 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
As it stands, mayors of English strategic authorities receive most of their funding from ring-fenced grants, allocated by central government to be spent on specific policy areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
The fund’s allocated share is $1 million: $5 of social benefit per dollar invested.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The state had allocated the house to Evelyn and me because we were no longer just two, but three.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Over a century, a patchwork of laws, treaties and irrigation systems sprang up to address those questions, allocating the prized water and governing how much must be passed downstream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 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
“But in light of these new attacks, he’s allocating more time to his direct duties with the Sons of the Six. Brother Lekan has been appointed to lead the service in Father Olufemi’s stead.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
