Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: Medieval Latin
Origin: , past participle of allocare, from Latin ad- 'to' + locare 'to place'

allocate

 verb
     
al‧lo‧cate [transitive]
to use something for a particular purpose, give something to a particular person etc, especially after an official decision has been made
allocate something to somebody/something
the importance of allocating resources to local communities
You should allocate the same amount of time to each question.
allocate something for something
One million dollars was allocated for disaster relief.
allocate somebody/something sth
Several patients were waiting to be allocated a bed.
WORD FOCUS: give WORD FOCUS: give
put something in someone's hand: hand, pass
officially give something to someone: award, present, grant, confer, allocate
give something to people in a group: hand out, pass around, distribute
give to a charity: donate
give something to people after you die: leave, pass on, bequeath

➔ See also give
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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