ration

noun
UK: /ˈræʃən/
US: /ˈræʃən/

  1. A limited amount of something, especially food, that one person or group of people is allowed to have, particularly when there is not much of it available.

    1. The daily ration of water was very small.
    2. During the war, everyone had a food ration to make supplies last longer.

  2. An amount of something such as petrol or electricity that you are officially allowed to have because there is not enough for everyone to have as much as they want.

    1. The gas ration was not enough for long trips.
    2. The government imposed a strict energy ration to cope with shortages.

Synonyms

allowance portion share quota allocate conserve
ration transitive-verb

  1. To control the supply of something such as food or fuel.

    1. We had to ration our supplies carefully.
    2. During the drought, water was strictly rationed to preserve resources.

  2. To control the amount of something that people are allowed to have, especially when there is not enough of it.

    1. The government decided to ration electricity during the energy crisis.
    2. The hospital had to ration medical supplies due to the overwhelming number of patients.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "ration" in English means: A limited amount of something, especially food, that one person or group of people is allowed to have, particularly when there is not much of it available., An amount of something such as petrol or electricity that you are officially allowed to have because there is not enough for everyone to have as much as they want..

The phonetic transcription of "ration" is /ˈræʃən/ in British English and /ˈræʃən/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "ration": allowance, portion, share, quota, allocate, conserve.

Example usage of "ration": "The daily ration of water was very small.". More examples on the page.