allot

verb

al·​lot ə-ˈlät 

allotted; allotting

transitive verb

1

: to assign as a share or portion

allot 10 minutes for the speech

2

: to distribute by or as if by lot

allot seats to the press

allotter noun

Synonyms of allot

• allocate
• assign
• distribute
• lot

Examples of allot in a Sentence

Each speaker will be allotted 15 minutes.

The newspaper will allot a full page to each of the three mayoral candidates.

Recent Examples on the Web

At other airports, like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, passengers had previously been advised to allot at least four hours for screening, though the airport showed much shorter security wait times on its website as of Monday morning, all under five minutes. —Mason Leib, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026

The deal did not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement or border security operations through Customs and Border Protection, although those DHS agencies have funding allotted through 2029 via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026

The result is the game Straight4 and publisher Giants should’ve launched in the first place, or at least allotted themselves the time to finish. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026

Teams are allotted two challenges per game. —Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English alotten, borrowed from Anglo-French aloter, from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + -loter, verbal derivative of lot "lot, portion, share," borrowed from Old Low Franconian *hlota-, going back to Germanic *hluta- — more at lot entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for allot

• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot
• distraught

Kids Definition

allot

verb

al·​lot ə-ˈlät 

allotted; allotting

: to assign as a share or portion

allot 10 minutes for the speech