allocate

American  

[al-uh-kayt] / ˈæl əˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• allocates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• allocated,
  past participle,  past
• allocating
  present participle

1. 

   to set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot.

   to allocate funds for new projects.

---

allocate British  

/ ˈæləˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to assign or allot for a particular purpose

2. a less common word for locate

---

Synonym Usage

See assign.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• allocator
  noun
• deallocate
  verb (used with object)
• reallocate
  verb (used with object)
• allocatable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• allocating
  present
• allocated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• allocate
  simple
• allocates
  simple
• have allocated
  perfect
• has allocated
  perfect
• am allocating
  progressive
• are allocating
  progressive
• is allocating
  progressive
• have been allocating
  perfect progressive
• has been allocating
  perfect progressive

Past

• allocated
  simple
• had allocated
  perfect
• was allocating
  progressive
• were allocating
  progressive
• had been allocating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will allocate
  simple
• will have allocated
  perfect
• will be allocating
  progressive
• will have been allocating
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of allocate

First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin allocātus (past participle of allocāre ), equivalent to al- al- + loc(us) “place” + -ātus -ate ¹

---

Explanation

To allocate is to set aside a certain amount of money for an expense. You usually hear about the government allocating funds for education or the military, but you may personally allocate some of your allowance to buying comic books. Aside from money, a common thing to allocate is time: "The old woman in the shoe had so many children she could only allocate 2.7 minutes per day to talk to each one individually." Resources are also often allocated. Teachers, for example, are continuously allocating their year's supply of resources so they don't run out of glue sticks and paper before the end of the school year.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allocate allocates allocated allocating

Overall, the results showed that MTCH2 is a powerful regulator of how cells allocate nutrients between energy production and other biological needs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

The chancellor plans to allocate the money for a full feasibility study on the possibility for a bid for a "Northern Games".

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

For that, I was thinking I’d allocate another quarter to cash and ultrashort Treasury ETFs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

America’s ability to raise and allocate this private capital—the institutional investors and entrepreneurs, the legal system and market structure—is the envy of the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

These people whose job it was to allocate capital apparently didn’t even know how to manage their own.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

France's online platform that allocates places in higher education, Parcoursup, is another sore point.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The average U.S. household spends about $1,100 each month on transportation, twice as much as this budget allocates.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Accounting rules dictate that companies report segments based on how the “chief operating decision maker” assesses performance and allocates resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a motion to hire a consultant to reevaluate how it allocates funds collected via a property tax instituted by Measure B, a 2002 ballot initiative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The more commodified and restricted our access to information, the less efficient the operation of the market, the more poorly it allocates resources in our society.

From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle

Jonas forecasts 2027 capital expenditures, or spending on physical infrastructure, at roughly $278 billion, 87% of which would be allocated to AI-related plans.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Freed up capital from trading could be allocated to other businesses if the returns are higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“There are budgets that have been laid out, but no resources that have been allocated to it yet,” Herrera said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The exhibition opened on 10 September but has experienced a series of problems with queues and congestion, with some visitors spending longer than their allocated 40-minute slot viewing the tapestry.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

We wanted to spend every minute of the half hour Papa allocated to uniform washing.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Over a century, a patchwork of laws, treaties and irrigation systems sprang up to address those questions, allocating the prized water and governing how much must be passed downstream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The municipality, he alleged, was increasingly allocating public buildings and resources to the ultra-Orthodox community.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

The motion calls for allocating millions of dollars annually to fully fund nine county-run self-help legal centers that assist people navigating the restraining order process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Before allocating any cash to pop-culture prediction markets or other event contracts, you need to make sure your finances are in order — and that you only play with money you’re comfortable putting at risk.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Congress had signaled its enthusiasm for an expanded AEC program by allocating the agency a healthy budget for research, he explained.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• allot
• apportion
• appropriate
• designate
• earmark
• give
• set aside

---