ration

Plural: rations

Noun

• the food allowance for one day (especially for service personnel)
  • "the rations should be nutritionally balanced"
• a fixed portion that is allotted (especially in times of scarcity)
• A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group.

Verb

Verb Forms: rationed, rationing, rations

• To distribute in fixed or limited portions.
• restrict the consumption of a relatively scarce commodity, as during war
  • "Bread was rationed during the siege of the city"
• distribute in rations, as in the army
  • "Cigarettes are rationed"
• To supply with a ration; to limit (someone) to a specific allowance of something.
• To portion out (especially during a shortage of supply); to limit access to.
• To restrict (an activity etc.)

Examples

• By the third day on the raft, we had to ration our water.
• He had to ration his high-scoring tiles, saving them for crucial plays.
• Our present health care system is rationed only to those who can afford it because of unnecessary high cost, lack of insurance coverage by 47 million people, and exorbitant prescription prices.
• We rationed ourselves to three sips of water a day until we were rescued.

Synonyms

ration out, Hooverize

Anagrams of ration