allocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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
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.
The company should be able to continue funding its dividend if it chooses to allocate its cash that way.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
Other airlines offered to seat children next to a parent or guardian without a fee, or allocate seats together automatically during booking for free, it added.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
You may, for instance, allocate money for education, mortgage, down payment, rent, and, of course, their children.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
It’s choosing people who only allocate capital to losing propositions.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
These people whose job it was to allocate capital apparently didn’t even know how to manage their own.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
