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

Within two days, 68% of that amount had already been allotted. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026

Grab your morning coffee from Navi Coffee & Flowers then allot a day each at Kampong Botanic Garden, Fairchild Botanic Garden, and Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. —Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2026

Since modern-era finalists are only allotted 20 years of eligibility, Woodson will have only two more opportunities to get into the Hall of Fame before having to move to the much larger and more competitive senior category. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2026

Michigan school districts are allotted six days that can be used to cancel school for emergency reasons. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 6 Feb. 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