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

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

Naver will issue 7.2 million new shares at 204,500 won each through a third-party allotment, with Nvidia as the sole subscriber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

In Islington, there are just 106 allotment plots available for around 17,000 households without garden access.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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 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

The restrictions mean hosepipes should not be used for watering gardens, washing cars, allotments, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning windows.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

He dreamed of it in the way other soldiers dreamed of their hearths or allotments or old civilian jobs.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• allocation
• allowance
• appropriation
• quota
• ration