Dictionary.com

allocate

[ al-uh-keyt ]
/ ˈæl əˌkeɪt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: allocate / allocated / allocates / allocating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), al·lo·cat·ed, al·lo·cat·ing.
to set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot: to allocate funds for new projects.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of allocate

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin allocātus (past participle of allocāre ), equivalent to al- al- + loc(us) “place” + -ātus -ate1

synonym study for allocate

See assign.

OTHER WORDS FROM allocate

al·lo·ca·tor, nounde·al·lo·cate, verb (used with object), de·al·lo·cat·ed, de·al·lo·cat·ing.re·al·lo·cate, verb (used with object), re·al·lo·cat·ed, re·al·lo·cat·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use allocate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for allocate

allocate
/ (ˈæləˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)
to assign or allot for a particular purpose
a less common word for locate (def. 2)

Derived forms of allocate

allocatable, adjective

Word Origin for allocate

C17: from Medieval Latin allocāre, from Latin locāre to place, from locus a place
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK