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

Oleksandr Gorlachov, 43, had gone to his allotment plot outside the city Friday night.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

State leaders noted that under the plan, Nevada’s annual allotment of 300,000 acre-feet could be slashed to as little as 86,500 acre-feet, which they said would be devastating for Las Vegas and surrounding cities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 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

At least 30,500 Londoners are on allotment waiting lists, with 16 boroughs closed to new applicants, according to a 2023 Freedom of Information request published by Greenpeace.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The Osage prevailed upon the government to divide the land solely among members of the tribe, thereby increasing each individual’s allotment from 160 acres to 657 acres.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

If reservoir levels continue to fall, it allows for larger mandatory water cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet per year in California, Arizona and Nevada — as much as 40% of the combined allotments.

From Los Angeles Times ● 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

Several councils, including Hounslow, Southwark and Hackney, have already introduced the policy to turn wasteland into allotments, community gardens and orchards.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

As it weighs further chip allotments to Super Micro, Nvidia holds all the cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

"When will the queen release her official announcement regarding toilette-box allotments?"

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• allocation
• allowance
• appropriation
• quota
• ration