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

Time is allotted to various family members, but none of them are fleshed out beyond a single character trait. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

Vouchers allot roughly $10,500 to standard students, $30,000 to disabled students and $2,000 for homeschool students. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

The change in 2025 increased by $100 million the amount allotted to productions every two years. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Congress has set the current annual cap for new H-1B visas at 65,000, though an additional 20,000 is allotted for those with advanced degrees. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 11 Sep. 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