allocation

American  

[al-uh-kay-shuhn] / ˌæl əˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• allocations
  plural

1. the act of allocating; apportionment.

2. the state of being allocated.

3. the share or portion allocated.

4. Accounting. a system of dividing expenses and incomes among the various branches, departments, etc., of a business.

---

allocation British  

/ ˌæləˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of allocating or the state of being allocated

2. a part that is allocated; share

3. accounting a system of dividing overhead expenses between the various departments of a business

4. social welfare (in a Social Services Department) the process of assigning referrals to individual workers, thus changing their status to cases

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deallocation
  noun
• reallocation
  noun
• suballocation
  noun
• allocative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• allocations
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of allocation

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin allocātiōn- (stem of allocātiō ), equivalent to allocāt(us) ( see allocate) + -iōn- -ion

---

Explanation

If it is your job to decide how much money goes to three charities, you are in charge of the allocation of your donation. The money each charity gets is their allocation. You'll often hear this word used when talking about things like government funding. People often debate the allocation of federal funds. Should tax dollars be used for the military, or for domestic needs like education and healthcare? These decisions are made by Congress and the President, who work together to create a budget to allocate funds appropriately.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allocation allocations

Supporters say the existing city allocation isn’t enough and has led to deteriorating recreation centers, swimming pools and restrooms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Each mayor will receive a bespoke funding allocation that takes into account regional inequalities in tax bases, with the exact amounts to be set at the government's spending review next year.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Investors seeking exposure to Anthropic have several strategies to consider, including proposed leveraged ETFs once it’s public and funds with an allocation to the currently private company.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

They expect demand to remain “solid” with shifts in retirement-asset allocation in favor of equities being partially offset by higher interest rates and by disruption related to artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

None had their complete allocation of walls and ceilings.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

"The need to ensure their safety in the face of crime and violence, house demolitions, discriminatory policies and budget allocations are issues on which there is room for dialogue," he said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

UBS’s Reiman said his team is not recommending changes to portfolio allocations around the midterms, in large part because “legislation is going to be difficult to achieve.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Treasurers are also determining whether their investment allocations remain appropriate, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

While investors may not consciously try to boost their European exposure, passive inflows into non-U.S. equities have returned, mostly through international allocations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Department of Defense antidrug allocations increased from $33 million in 1981 to $1,042 million in 1991.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• allotment
• appropriation
• quota
• share

---