Word
allotment
Phoneticsal·lot·ment, stress on the second syllable
US/əˈɫɑtmənt/
UK/ɐlˈɒtmənt/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a specific amount of something, like money or time, that is given to a person or group. In British English, it also means a small piece of land you can rent to grow your own vegetables.
n. the process of distributing something in shares, or the specific portion assigned to a particular recipient. In British contexts, refers to a small plot of public land rented to an individual for non-commercial gardening.
Examples
“Each student received a small allotment of paper for the exam.”
“The city council increased the number of garden allotments to meet the growing demand for local food production.”
“The legal dispute centered on the unfair allotment of shares during the corporate merger, which minority investors claimed favored the board of directors.”
Examples
simple
“Each student received a small allotment of paper for the exam.”
contextual
“The city council increased the number of garden allotments to meet the growing demand for local food production.”
complex
“The legal dispute centered on the unfair allotment of shares during the corporate merger, which minority investors claimed favored the board of directors.”
Usage
Commonly used in administrative and legal contexts to describe the distribution of resources.
Real-World Examples
“As a child on my parents’ allotment, I delighted in finding them in the soil as potatoes were dug in, fascinated by their soft, alien form wiggling in my hand.” “Better yet, says Diane: “Pay minimum wage for keeping streets clean, planting civic flowerbeds, growing free food for the whole area by tending community allotments.” Etymology
From Old French alotement (modern French allotement). By surface analysis, allot + -ment.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/allotment