From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishallocateal‧lo‧cate /ˈæləkeɪt/ ●○○ AWL verb [transitive] GIVEto use something for a particular purpose, give something to a particular person etc, especially after an official decision has been madeallocate 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.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
allocate• The company has allocated $1000 to the team to get the project started.• We are allocated a nursery for our weekly spell of baby care.• It is a process whereby scarce resources are allocated among competing powers and claimants.• All this highlighted the need for more land to be allocated by planning authorities for development.• The government has allocated, for the introduction of the National Curriculum into 24,000 schools, the sum of £30 million.• He is a selfish, competitive fighter who is totally calculating about how he allocates his time and resources.• Several single parent families have been allocated homes on the new site.• The results will depend on how each department allocates its resources.• Investors who allocate money based on market size may not be as diversified as they thought.allocate something for something• One million dollars has been allocated for disaster relief.From Longman Business Dictionaryallocateal‧lo‧cate /ˈæləkeɪt/ verb [transitive]1COMMERCEto decide officially that a particular amount of money, time etc should be used for a particular purposeallocate something for somethingThe company has allocated funds for the design of four plants.allocate something to somethingDirectors allocated $100 million to the search for oil.2to decide officially that something such as a house or job should be given to a particular personallocate something to somebodyTheir job is to allocate homes to ordinary people.allocate somebody somethingThey allocated me a window seat at check-in.3ACCOUNTING to decide where a particular amount, cost, or expense should be held in a company’s accountsallocate something to somethingThe regulators did not like the way in which the company allocated expenses to its bank units.→ See Verb tableOrigin allocate (1600-1700) Medieval Latin past participle of allocare, from Latin ad- “to” + locare “to place” 