Meanings
allocate1
present singular third person allocates · participle present allocating · participle past allocated · past allocated
- To set aside for a purpose.
Please do not eat the meringue, as it is allocated for the dinner party tomorrow.
1 more example
By March 1994, it had moved to Cardiff Canton, and was still allocated there when its nameplates were taken off in March 1997.
2024 January 10, Chris Gilson, “RAIL's famous five...”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 27Synonyms: appropriate, earmark, appropriate, shelve, assign, dedicate, detach, designate
- To distribute according to a plan, generally followed by the adposition to.
The bulk of K–12 education funds are allocated to school districts that in turn pay for the cost of operating schools.
- computingTo reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program.
The memory manager allocates memory to requesting processes until there is no more memory available or until there are no more processes waiting for memory.
2011, José M. Garrido, Richard Schlesinger, Kenneth Hoganson, Principles of Modern Operating Systems, 2nd edition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, →ISBN, page 264Antonyms: free, deallocate
allocate2
- not comparableobsoleteallocated
allocate3
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo set aside for a purpose.
verbTo reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program.
More synonyms by meaning
verbdistribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
allocate · verb
- Latinallocō
- Latinallocātus
- Englishallocate
From Latin allocātus, perfect passive participle of Latin allocō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to”) + locō. Doublet of allow. By surface analysis, al- + locate.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →allocate · adjective
- Latinallocātus
- Middle Englishallocat(e)“allocated”
- Englishallocate
From Middle English allocat(e) (“allocated”), originally used as the past participle of allocate, from Latin allocātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →allocate · noun
- Medieval Latinallocātum
- Middle Englishallocate
- Englishallocate
From Middle English allocate (the common first word of writs authorizing payment), from Medieval Latin allocātum, substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of allocātus, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Alternatively, from allocāte, the second-person plural imperative of allocō, compare English liberate (“a warrant for the payment of a pension, allowance, debt, etc.”).
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَصَّصَ
- خَصَّصَ (ḵaṣṣaṣa)to set aside for a purpose
Bulgarian заде́лям, предназначавам
- заде́лям (zadéljam)to set aside for a purpose
- предназначавам (prednaznačavam)to set aside for a purpose
- разпределям (razpredeljam)to distribute according to a plan
- отпускам (otpuskam)to distribute according to a plan
Chinese Mandarin 分配
- 分配 (fēnpèi)to distribute according to a plan
Czech vyčlenit, alokovat
- vyčlenitto set aside for a purpose
- alokovatto set aside for a purpose
- vyčleňovatto set aside for a purpose
Esperanto asigni, okupi
- asignito set aside for a purpose
- okupicomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
- kreicomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
- disponigicomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Estonian varuma, jaotama
- varumato set aside for a purpose
- jaotamato distribute according to a plan
Finnish varata, allokoida
- varatato set aside for a purpose
- allokoidato set aside for a purpose
- jyvittääto distribute according to a plan
- jakaato distribute according to a plan
- varatacomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
French allouer, allouer
- allouerto set aside for a purpose
- allouerto distribute according to a plan
- allouercomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
German belegen, zuordnen, zuteilen
- belegen, zuordnento set aside for a purpose
- zuteilento distribute according to a plan
- allozierencomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Hindi आवंटन करना, आवंटित करना
- आवंटन करना (āvaṇṭan karnā)to set aside for a purpose
- आवंटित करना (āvaṇṭit karnā)to set aside for a purpose
- आवंटित करना (āvaṇṭit karnā)to distribute according to a plan
- आवंटन करना (āvaṇṭan karnā)to distribute according to a plan
Hungarian félretesz, tartalékol
- félreteszto set aside for a purpose
- tartalékolto set aside for a purpose
- kiosztto distribute according to a plan
- beosztto distribute according to a plan
- allokálto distribute according to a plan
- juttatto distribute according to a plan
- kijelölto distribute according to a plan
- kiutalto distribute according to a plan
- engedélyezto distribute according to a plan
- meghatározto distribute according to a plan
- megállapítto distribute according to a plan
- előirányozto distribute according to a plan
Irish gearr, gearr
- gearrto set aside for a purpose
- gearrto distribute according to a plan
Italian stanziare, assegnare
- stanziareto set aside for a purpose
- assegnareto set aside for a purpose
- allocarecomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Japanese 取り置く, 配置する
- 取り置く (torioku)to set aside for a purpose
- 配置する (haichi suru)to distribute according to a plan
- 割り振る (warifuru)computing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Māori whakarato, toha
- whakaratoto distribute according to a plan
- tohato distribute according to a plan
- tohatohato distribute according to a plan
- tuw(h)ato distribute according to a plan
- tuw(h)atuw(h)ato distribute according to a plan
Persian اختصاص دادن
- اختصاص دادنto set aside for a purpose
Polish przydzielać, przydzielić
- przydzielaćto set aside for a purpose
- przydzielićto set aside for a purpose
- asygnowaćto set aside for a purpose
- wyasygnowaćto set aside for a purpose
- przydzielićto distribute according to a plan
- alokowaćcomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Portuguese alocar, alocar
- alocarto set aside for a purpose
- alocarto distribute according to a plan
- alocarcomputing: to reserve a portion of memory for use by a computer program
Romanian aloca, repartiza
- alocato set aside for a purpose
- repartizato set aside for a purpose
Russian выделя́ть, вы́делить
- выделя́ть (vydeljátʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- вы́делить (výdelitʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- назнача́ть (naznačátʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- назна́чить (naznáčitʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- предназнача́ть (prednaznačátʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- предназна́чить (prednaznáčitʹ)to set aside for a purpose
- распределя́ть (raspredeljátʹ)to distribute according to a plan
- распредели́ть (raspredelítʹ)to distribute according to a plan
Spanish asignar, adjudicar
- asignarto set aside for a purpose
- adjudicarto set aside for a purpose
Swedish avsätta
- avsättato set aside for a purpose
Tagalog ilaan
- ilaanto set aside for a purpose
Turkish tahsis etmek, ayırmak
- tahsis etmekto set aside for a purpose
- ayırmakto set aside for a purpose
- paylaştırmakto distribute according to a plan
Cite this entry
allocate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allocate
“allocate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allocate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “allocate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/allocate.
Source: allocate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.