allocate

American  

[al-uh-keyt] / 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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allocate allocates allocated allocating

How much of your portfolio you want to allocate to momentum is going to be a judgment call.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The streamer said it plans to allocate just over 5% of its content spend on live programming this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

In response, the royal palace vowed to allocate the equivalent of £11.2bn in the 2026 budget to health and education, which represents a 16% increase year-on-year.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

“What you can control, indisputably, is how you allocate capital,” Vik Ghei of HoldCo told Barron’s in April.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 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

The government currently allocates about £66bn for defence.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Jane Street’s investment in Situational Awareness is particularly notable because the firm rarely allocates capital to outside money managers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

GMO allocates 5.4% to Venezuela in the firm’s Emerging Country Debt fund versus benchmark allocation External link of 1%.

From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026

The prudent investor allocates a small portion of his portfolio to quantum exposure, accepts that volatility is the price of admission, and recognizes that long-term trajectory matters more than monthly price swings.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025

This central authority also allocates paper quotas, determines the number of books to be printed, and sets the prices at which all publications are to be sold.

From Area Handbook for Romania by Bernier, Donald W.

On “Fox News Sunday,” anchor Shannon Bream allocated a mere four seconds to the entire event, treating it as a footnote before moving on to interview a Democratic senator.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

It also included $500,000 of discretionary funds that supervisors allocated to assist affected residents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

In the five years to February, the U.S. allocated around $46 billion for critical raw-material projects, an analysis by the French Institute of International Relations think tank found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Everything above that floor should be allocated intentionally: taxes first, then savings and longer-term goals,” Clerveaux says.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 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

Stock markets perform an essential task in modern economies by allocating capital where it’s needed, and reducing it where it isn’t.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

SpaceX’s $75 billion IPO, allocating 30% to retail investors, fueled concerns about Tesla stock’s volatility.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

A balanced portfolio in your mid-70s means allocating 40% to 50% to bonds, if you’re playing your septuagenarian retirement planning by the book.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

While many advocates support allocating the money quickly, it leaves little for future years.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

Congress had signaled its enthusiasm for an expanded AEC program by allocating the agency a healthy budget for research, he explained.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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