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

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

When asked what she would say to investors worried about bond-market volatility, Driscoll said to “understand your time horizon” and added: “Really being consistent in how you allocate and taking a long-term view is important.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

That granular data allows decisionmakers to allocate resources and target outreach to the areas with the highest need.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

They allocate about $80,000 for taxes and $40,000 for travel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

It also made drastic changes to the formula used to allocate funds, with more money directed towards areas assessed as having higher levels of need and less ability to raise income locally through council tax.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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 sample budget that includes saving for retirement allocates 22% of gross income for housing.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

They eventually won over Jane Street, the EA-tinged trading firm that rarely allocates capital to outside managers.

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

They include the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, the growth in commercial and broadcast revenue Fifa has overseen, and a programme which allocates millions in funding directly to member countries every year.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

It allocates natural resources, and controls the issue of credit.

From Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann

Whether their money is being appropriately allocated is another question, according to Colas.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

There will also be £65m allocated to rescuing businesses and buildings at risk of closure, and a further £20m allocated to help communities set up co-operative businesses and let out empty units.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

By comparison, Spain has allocated less than $230 million over the past decade for its Campo de Gibraltar security plan, launched to dismantle criminal networks in the south of Spain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Not all the money from last year was allocated; roughly $30 million is being rolled over into the new funding round.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

He began lobbying officials there to include the various second-line antibiotics on their list of “essential drugs”—a list that the ministries followed and allocated money for in their budgets.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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

In 2021, Robinhood sought to give its users a bigger-than-normal chunk of its own IPO, allocating about 25% of its shares compared with a typical 10%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Twenty-two Wall Street banks collected $500 million in fees for underwriting, marketing and allocating shares in the SpaceX IPO, which priced the stock at $135 and raised $75 billion, a regulatory filing shows.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

"That they are still allocating wildcards for them says something to their intrinsic value to the tournaments."

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

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