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
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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:
There was, however, a bit of good news this summer when Stellantis decided to allocate production of the next-generation Opel Astra and DS4 to Ruesselsheim, securing the plant's operations beyond 2029.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
While the fund can be aggressive in making changes when called upon to do so, it’s also disciplined in following its quantitative process to select stocks, buy and sell them, and allocate its portfolio weighting.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
“We are being disciplined in how we allocate our scarce cloud capacity,” Agrawal says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
But it also prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers this summer to allocate $40 million to help counties speed up the process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We have the ability to allocate the job to the person who knows the area best.”
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Aggregate data can help identify broad trends and inform how the commission allocates its enforcement resources.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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
This framework allocates 50% of your income to needs, like housing; 30% to wants, like vacations and streaming services; and 20% to savings and debt repayment, including retirement contributions and emergency funds.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Sometimes it fixes prices, allocates the surplus or distributes the loss.
From Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann
“As with any contract awarded to industry, no funding was allocated for any company until after the full and open competitions concluded,” the Space Force said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
However, unlike the index, it can be as much as 15% allocated to stocks in emerging markets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Still, the billions of taxpayer dollars Congress has allocated for foreign aid programs must be spent; lawmakers have insisted the government continue to fund humanitarian aid, global health and pro-democracy causes around the world.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
The remaining amount is allocated across programs for "awareness and prevention," "screening and assessment," "referral, linkage, and coordination," implementation and evaluation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
"We allocated one hundred grams for luxury items. There are some handwritten letters from Mark's family, a note from the President, and a USB drive filled with music from all ages."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Weibo is boosting its video-content strategy and allocating more resources to AI to drive long-term user engagement, they add, noting the movesappear strategically sound but could pressure profitability, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Richter has called for setting a cap on total water use and allocating water based on what the river can provide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Moderately conservative” typically means allocating approximately 40% to stocks, 50% to bonds and 10% to cash or cash-equivalent investments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
He hated allocating jobs, he wished he never had to depend on other people to perform some of the services necessary in his work.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
