allot
Americanverb (used with object)
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allots,
present (3rd person singular)
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allotted,
past participle, past
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allotting
present participle
verb
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to assign or distribute (shares, etc)
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to designate for a particular purpose
money was allotted to cover expenses
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(foll by to) apportion
we allotted two hours to the case
Synonym Usage
See assign.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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allotternoun
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misallotverb (used with object)
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preallotverb (used with object)
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reallotverb (used with object)
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allottableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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allotsimple
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allotssimple
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have allottedperfect
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has allottedperfect
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am allottingprogressive
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are allottingprogressive
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is allottingprogressive
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have been allottingperfect progressive
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has been allottingperfect progressive
Past
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allottedsimple
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had allottedperfect
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was allottingprogressive
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were allottingprogressive
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had been allottingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of allot
First recorded in 1425–75; earlier alot, late Middle English alotten, from Middle French aloter, equivalent to a- a- 5 + lot lot (from Germanic ) + -er infinitive suffix
Compare meaning
How does allot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you allot something, you are giving out portions: “Becky was able to allot five snacks per employee, but in the afternoon some workers sneaked back into the break room for more.” Be careful not to mistake allot for “a lot” (a large number), which has a similar spelling and the same pronunciation. Use the verb allot when you need to describe the act of assigning portions of something — be it snacks, time, or blame. The word is often used in the sense of an official group, such as a government or a corporation, dividing up and distributing small portions of something desirable, such as funding, shares, or land: “Zenitech Corporation was able to allot land rights to four groups in the area.”
Vocabulary lists containing allot
Fahrenheit 451
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List 1
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
The ladies agree to allot 20 minutes to grousing about their aches and pains, and then they have to move on to some appointed discussion topic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Passive indexes that allot the greatest influence to the biggest companies do nothing to aid in capital allocation for the broader economy, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025
They disagree on how to allot necessary water cuts and other issues, including how much water should be released downstream from Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2025
On Tuesday, Drakeford will allot money for government departments for 2026-27.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025
The government wouldn’t allot valuable rations to a dead woman.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
But the equal-weighted version of the index allots an equal weighting to each stock in the index, making it a better gauge of how the average S&P 500 stock is doing.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
Focusing on McCartney’s first decade in the wake of The Beatles’ disbandment, Neville allots significant attention to the musician’s grit and determination during the formation of Wings, which underwent several lineup changes in the 1970s.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2026
I opted for a $100 annual plan that allots me two terabytes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
When you watch the film, you’ll see how selfish the Denzel character is in his space, even how he allots himself an hour of practice, no distractions, every day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
It would have exactly the effect Dr. Smith describes and allots to the zone of force in "Skylark Three"—it would make a hole in space and pull the hole in after it.
From Skylark Three by Hans Waldemar Wessolowski
Hampered by a hip injury, Payne limped through only a third of his allotted distance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Mileva discovered that Madelyn used all of her allotted daily half-hour of iPad time to talk to the chatbot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
And those visits often run over their allotted time, meaning that primary care doctors are often behind.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Researchers at top labs including Alibaba and Z.AI said they are often allotted one-fifth of the high-end chips available to peers at OpenAI and Google.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The land we lived on was Cherokee land, allotted to my mother because of the Cherokee blood that flowed in her veins.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
Ferrari is in the enviable position of allotting Purosangue sales to its well-regarded clients, collectors and other Friends of Enzo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Industry veterans say most major hotels around Los Angeles have probably already made deals allotting blocks of 2028 rooms to organizers of the Games or independent tour operators like Roadtrips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
The deal also gives three expired 2017 tax breaks for businesses new legs, allotting $33 billion to benefits related to research and experimental costs, interest deduction, small-business expensing and bonus depreciation.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2024
However, it does have to think about the infrastructure, allotting space for storage and pipes, and making sure the airlines and fuel firms have everything they need.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2023
After some prodding by Dad, the motion on allotting work finally was introduced and passed.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
