allocate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
allocates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allocated,
past participle, past
-
allocating
present participle
verb
-
to assign or allot for a particular purpose
-
a less common word for locate
Synonym Usage
See assign.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
allocatornoun
-
deallocateverb (used with object)
-
reallocateverb (used with object)
-
allocatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
allocatesimple
-
allocatessimple
-
have allocatedperfect
-
has allocatedperfect
-
am allocatingprogressive
-
are allocatingprogressive
-
is allocatingprogressive
-
have been allocatingperfect progressive
-
has been allocatingperfect progressive
Past
-
allocatedsimple
-
had allocatedperfect
-
was allocatingprogressive
-
were allocatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nothing But the Truth
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Washington, meanwhile, has announced plans to allocate $1 billion toward Colombia's security.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 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
One think tank, Re:State, has suggested, external the government should allocate mayors 2.5p in every pound raised by the 20p basic rate of income tax in their areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“At the same time, we are sharpening our strategic focus, evaluating where we allocate capital and resources and making disciplined choices that we believe will strengthen Tractor Supply.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
He looked at his little sister and tried to allocate blame so it all fell on her, but he couldn’t.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Accounting rules dictate that companies report segments based on how the “chief operating decision maker” assesses performance and allocates resources.
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
It was seen as a coup when Situational attracted institutional investors including quant trading firm Jane Street, which ranks among Wall Street’s most profitable firms and rarely allocates capital to outside managers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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
The more commodified and restricted our access to information, the less efficient the operation of the market, the more poorly it allocates resources in our society.
From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle
Managing those limited supplies requires careful decisions about how water is stored, allocated, and shared.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
The Health Department was allocated £381m to spend in 2026 as part of the government's budget for 2026-2029.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Way back in 1922, the interstate treaty governing its use allocated more water every year than the river can give.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
State lawmakers voted last year to extend the cap-and-invest program through 2045 and created a new three-tier system for deciding how its proceeds are allocated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The person who finds this “inheritance” will receive a tenth of the money; the remainder will be allocated to the city.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
By examining the organization of both biological brains and artificial neural networks, Imam and his colleagues found evidence that evolution may involve allocating a limited amount of brain space among competing wiring strategies.
From Science Daily ● 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
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
The underlying reason why this transition was piecemeal is that food production systems evolved as a result of the accumulation of many separate decisions about allocating time and effort.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
