allotment

noun

al·​lot·​ment ə-ˈlät-mənt 

1

: the act of allotting something : apportionment

The allotment of a full page in the newspaper to each candidate is fair.

2

: something that is allotted

an allotment of time

especially, chiefly British : a plot of land let to an individual for cultivation

Synonyms of allotment

• subsidy
• grant
• appropriation
• allocation

Examples of allotment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both the University of Miami and Indiana University received allotments of 20,000 tickets. —Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026

After residents are given food allotments, the Thao family is able to eat their mom’s good cooking instead of the thin soup served in the cafeteria. —Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026

Water users take cuts every year, negotiators have said, and the basin as a whole has never used its entire legal allotment. —Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026

The Giants not only paid about $4 million in penalties for going over the bonus pool allotment to sign Fox, but the team couldn’t sign an international amateur free agent for more than $300,000 over the next two years. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French alotement, from aloter "to allot" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

allotment

noun

al·​lot·​ment ə-ˈlät-mənt 

1

: the act of allotting

2

: something allotted