rationing
noun · verb
Form of ration , present participle of ration.
Simple meaning
Controlled distribution of scarce resources such as food or fuel.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rashuhningSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹæʃənɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Controlled distribution of scarce resources such as food or fuel; used typically in wartime.
A ration.
verb
present participle of ration
To portion out (especially during a shortage of supply); to limit access to.
“By the third day on the raft, we had to ration our water.”
To restrict (an activity etc.)
present participle of ration
To supply with a ration; to limit (someone) to a specific allowance of something.
“We rationed ourselves to three sips of water a day until we were rescued.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
More ways to use rationing
- “During the war the government imposed rationing of food and gasoline.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The food allowance for one day (especially for service personnel).
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Consistent with or based on or using reason.
In a rational manner.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “rationing” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.