allocate

verb

al·lo·cate | \ˈa-lə-ˌkāt

allocated; allocating

Definition of allocate

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

Other Words from allocate Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about allocate

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Other Words from allocate

allocatable \-ˌkā-tə-bəl

\ adjective

allocation \ˌa-lə-ˈkā-shən

\ noun

allocator \ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tər

\ noun

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

Yet in a number of counties including Jefferson and Montgomery, any money allocated to sheriffs for feeding inmates that is not used for that purpose is instead turned over to the county government. — Connor Sheets, AL.com, "Etowah sheriff pockets $750k in jail food funds, buys $740k beach house," 13 Mar. 2018 Letting researchers allocate even a fraction of their federal grant funding to support open-source projects like Python would encourage the development and maintenance of scientific infrastructure open to everyone. — Paul Romer, WSJ, "Government Can Do More to Support Science and Innovation," 20 Nov. 2018 That’s why the NASA team allocated a whopping 45 tons for the entire lander system, which is almost twice the Orion’s mass. — Anatoly Zak, Popular Mechanics, "NASA’s Return to the Moon Could Include a Reusable Lunar Lander," 23 Oct. 2018 The school system’s plans have been challenged by the Interagency Commission on School Construction, a group that allocates school construction dollars. — Jess Nocera, Howard County Times, "New snags in planning for a new, or remodeled, Columbia elementary school," 13 July 2018 Over the past few years, for instance, Patrice has started allocating small chunks of her paycheck — first $60 and then $100 — to savings. — Stephanie Walden, USA TODAY, "How to find balance and get your retirement plan back on track," 13 July 2018 More sidewalks in Oak Forest will be repaired this summer than the original plan called for after the city allocated an additional $20,000 toward the project last week. — Gregory Tejeda, Daily Southtown, "Oak Forest to spend $20K more on sidewalk repairs this summer," 13 July 2018 The bill allocated funds to ease inmate reintegration and reduce recidivism. — Otis R. Taylor Jr., SFChronicle.com, "Honduran woman deported from Contra Costa jail is glad to hear ICE is getting booted," 12 July 2018 At $700 billion this year, military spending is more than half of the trillion-dollar budget that Congress allocates each year, and that doesn’t even include spending on veterans’ health and benefits. — Lindsay Koshgarian, Fortune, "Trump’s Complaints About NATO Defense Spending Don’t Add Up," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allocate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.