ration
noun
ra·tion
| \ ˈra-shən
, ˈrā-
\
, ˈrā-
\
Definition of ration
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a food allowance for one day
2
: a share especially as determined by supply
ration
verb
rationed;
rationing\ ˈra-sh(ə-)niŋ
, ˈrā- \
, ˈrā- \
Definition of ration (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to supply with or put on rations
2a
: to distribute as rations
—often used with out
b
: to distribute equitably
c
: to use sparingly
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Synonyms for ration
Synonyms: Verb
allocate, allot, allow, apportion, assign, distribute, lot
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Examples of ration in a Sentence
Noun
The soldiers were given their rations for the day. The horse was fed its ration of oats. weekly sugar and butter rationsVerb
During the war, the government rationed gasoline. the region has had to ration water during times of drought
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Maria passes her ration book through the prison-like bars of the tiny shop window, and receives her prize in return. — Anastasia Miari, 1843, "Magic grannies are stopping Cuba going hungry," 7 Aug. 2019 The women also cracked down on men selling their family’s aid cards—used to get weekly food rations, like rice, oil, salt, onion, and other necessities—for yaba, a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. — Jennifer Chowdhury, Marie Claire, "Rohingya Women Aren't Just Refugees—They're Leaders," 9 July 2019 The two main dishes are already built into flameless ration heaters similar to those used by the U.S. military. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "YouTube’s Army Ration Taste-Tester Has Reviewed Rations Across Three Centuries," 10 Apr. 2019 But that has turned into despair as public hospitals run out of drugs and private pharmacies, like many other businesses, close down while supermarkets ration items such as bottled water and beer. — Farai Mutsaka, The Seattle Times, "Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks dialogue on economic crisis," 23 Oct. 2018 But in 2016, star receiver A.J. Green only played in 10 games and tight end Tyler Eifert in 8 and Dalton slumped to a 18-to-8 TD-to-INT ration, 91.8 QB rating and a 6-9-1 record. — Nat Newell, Indianapolis Star, "What you need to know about the Colts vs. Bengals," 8 July 2018 Usually, soldiers must carry more than 200 rounds of ammo, medical kits, MRE rations, a weapon cleaning kit and a map, to name a few items. — Andrew Keiper, Fox News, "Why US forces carry the American flag," 4 July 2018 Over the past few weeks, Coca-Cola’s European bottler temporarily halted some of its production lines and Booker, the U.K.’s biggest wholesaler, was forced to ration sales of beer, ciders and soft drinks. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Carbon Dioxide Shortage Is Threatening the U.K.’s Supply of Beer and Crumpets," 3 July 2018 The picture shows the return of the ration party to the front lines. — Mary Horlock, Longreads, "The Camouflage Artist: Two Worlds Wars, Two Loves, and One Great Deception," 21 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
And long-available drugs like insulin have seen price serial increases that forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses. — Fortune, "Trump Administration to Allow Americans to Get Cheaper Drugs from Canada," 31 July 2019 And long-available drugs like insulin have seen serial price increases that forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Twin Cities, "US to set up plan allowing prescription meds from Canada," 31 July 2019 And long-available drugs like insulin have also seen price increases that have forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses. — chicagotribune.com, "U.S. to set up plan allowing lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada," 31 July 2019 And long-available drugs like insulin have seen serial price increases that forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, The Denver Post, "U.S. sets up first-ever plan allowing prescription drugs from Canada," 31 July 2019 Last month, the former head of Medicare and Medicaid recommended that the US should nationalize insulin production in order to limit the financial burden of the drug, which is sometimes so steep patients ration their supplies and risk death. — Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz, "Prices of the most common prescription drugs nearly doubled in less than a decade," 4 June 2019 Speculation and black marketeering were a huge part of daily life in the hungry city where all food was rationed and the necessities of life demanded that every citizen must break the law on a daily basis. — Denise Davidsonwriter, San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘Chimes of a Lost Cathedral’ echo sounds of Russian past, present," 28 July 2019 Alec Raeshawn Smith, an uninsured Type 1 diabetic, rationed his insulin supply due to cost, his mother said. — Emily Rauhala, Anchorage Daily News, "As insulin costs soar, American diabetics caravan to Canada for lifesaving medicine," 17 June 2019 Alec Raeshawn Smith, an uninsured Type 1 diabetic, rationed his insulin supply due to cost, his mother said. — Emily Rauhala, Anchorage Daily News, "As insulin costs soar, American diabetics caravan to Canada for lifesaving medicine," 17 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ration
ration
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ration
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a particular amount of food that is given to one person or animal for one day
: food or supplies
: a particular amount of something (such as gasoline or food) that the government allows you to have when there is not enough of it
ration
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of ration (Entry 2 of 2)
: to control the amount of (something, such as gasoline or food) that people are allowed to have especially when there is not enough of it
See the full definition for ration in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ration
noun
ra·tion
| \ ˈra-shən
, ˈrā-shən\
, ˈrā-shən\
Kids Definition of ration
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a food allowance for one day
3
: the amount each person is allowed by an authority