allotment

American  

[uh-lot-muhnt] / əˈlɒt mənt /

noun

• allotments
  plural

1. the act of allotting.

2. a portion or thing allotted; a share granted.

   Synonyms:

   ration, lot, measure

3. (in U.S. military use) the portion of pay that an officer or enlisted person authorizes to be paid directly to another person, as a dependent, or an institution, as an insurance company.

4. British. a plot of land rented to a gardener.

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allotment British  

/ əˈlɒtmənt /

noun

1. the act of allotting; apportionment

2. a portion or amount allotted

3. a small piece of usually public land rented by an individual for cultivation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misallotment
  noun
• nonallotment
  noun
• reallotment
  noun
• proallotment
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• allotments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of allotment

First recorded in 1565–75; allot + -ment; compare French allotement

Explanation

Say you’re stranded on an island with a group of people and you divide your limited food supply. The portion you each receive is your share, also called your allotment. No fighting over the coconuts! The word allotment shows how languages intertwined through the ages. We can see the word's origins in several languages, including the Old English hlot, the Gothic hlauts, the Old High German hloz, and the Old French aloter. All referred to dividing something into groups, or “lots.” A "lot" refers to a group of things — stores refer to shipments of goods as being divided into “lots.” That idea of grouping will help you remember the meaning of allotment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allotment allotments

As a result, Syracuse’s competitors can concentrate their financial-aid budgets on a smaller percentage of students, while Syracuse has to spread its allotment over a broader pool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The century-old agreement requires the water released from upstream dams for Arizona, Nevada and California to average at least 7.5 million acre-feet over any decade, plus an allotment for Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

When you add the ticket allotment for the three scheduled matches, roughly 18,854 tickets were revoked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

He is also meeting the community of volunteers, gardeners and growers who use the allotment space to grow fresh produce as well as forging social connections.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Although she was expecting a third child in September, she would never eat her morning allotment of bread but passed it through the fence to him.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

If you don't have your own garden, many councils offer allotments where you can rent a plot for a relatively small annual fee.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

It allows for harsh water cutbacks if deemed necessary, potentially requiring California, Arizona and Nevada to cut up to 3 million acre-feet per year — up to 40% of the combined allotments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

The 10-year federal framework will enable much larger cutbacks if deemed necessary in future years — as much as 40% of the combined allotments of California, Arizona and Nevada.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

While foreign Treasury auction allotments have been rebounding for some time, both November and December allotments jumped significantly, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

It's full of speculation about the queen's toilette-box allotments and new beauty laws.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• allocation
• allowance
• appropriation
• quota
• ration