the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan; "the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on the relative population of each state"
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal; "the helpings were all small"; "his portion was larger than hers"; "there's enough for two servings each"
the act of allowing; "He objected to the allowance of smoking in the dining room"
a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits
an amount added or deducted on the basis of qualifying circumstances; "an allowance for profit"
an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period); "travel allowance"; "my weekly allowance of two eggs"; "a child's allowance should not be too generous"
a collection of things or persons to be handled together
all the loaves of bread baked at the same time
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "it must have cost plenty"
administer or bestow, as in small portions; "administer critical remarks to everyone present"; "dole out some money"; "shell out pocket money for the children"; "deal a blow to someone"
make available; "The publisher wants to distribute the book in Asia"
be mathematically distributive
be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses; "Values distribute"
spread throughout a given area; "the function distributes the values evenly"