allocate

verb

al·​lo·​cate ˈa-lə-ˌkāt How to pronounce allocate (audio)
allocated; allocating
Synonyms of allocate

transitive verb

1
: to apportion for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things : distribute
allocate tasks among human and automated components
2
: to set apart or earmark : designate
allocate a section of the building for special research purposes
allocatable
ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tə-bəl How to pronounce allocate (audio)
adjective
allocation
ˌa-lə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce allocate (audio)
noun
allocator
ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tər How to pronounce allocate (audio)
noun

Synonyms of allocate

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of allocate in a Sentence

Money from the sale of the house was allocated to each of the children. We need to determine the best way to allocate our resources. Have enough funds been allocated to finance the project?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the center of the campaign is a debate over how to tackle regional traffic congestion and allocate taxpayer funds across the valley. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2026 Finally, given the size of certain funds, there is simply no way to efficiently allocate capital in small amounts for an anchor asset. — Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2026 After allocating about 8% of GDP to NEOM, once contract cancellations are included, the government has admitted a costly defeat. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Each party allocates its seats to members based on a list of candidates published before elections. — Hannah Ridge, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for allocate

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin allocātus, past participle of allocāre "to place, stow, hire out, place on hire, allow, admit, credit," from Latin ad- ad- + locāre "to place, situate" — more at locate

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of allocate was in 1616

Phrases Containing allocate

Rhymes for allocate

See All Rhymes for allocate

Browse Nearby Words

allocable
allocate
allocatee
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Allocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allocate. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

allocate

verb
al·​lo·​cate ˈal-ə-ˌkāt How to pronounce allocate (audio)
allocated; allocating
1
: to divide and distribute for a special reason or to particular persons or things
allocate funds among charities
2
: to set apart for a particular purpose
allocate materials for a project
allocation
ˌal-ə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce allocate (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All