rationing

nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,206 of 15,258leans written

Rationing is limiting how much of a scarce good each person may buy. Wartime rationing, petrol rationing, end rationing.

It is a way of sharing a shortage rather than letting price decide, which is why it is used when fairness matters more than efficiency. Britain rationed food from 1940 to 1954, and the wartime diet was in some respects healthier than what came before.

Definitions of rationing

1nounrationingLimiting how much of a scarce good each person may buy.B2+
“During the drought, water rationing meant we could only water the garden once a week.”

rationing is a system.

Where it comes from

Proto-Indo-European
*h₂er-
French
ration
English
ration
English, today
rationing

ration comes from French ration. a doublet of reason and ratio.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in History & Eras

Practise this word

rationing in the wild

There are many forms of rationing, although rationing by price is most prevalent.
Rationing
Thus, rationing can be complementary to price controls.
Rationing
To deal with sometimes extreme shortages, the Ministry of Food instituted a system of rationing.
Rationing in the United Kingdom
Personal carbon trading is a form of carbon rationing, as a means of reducing CO2 emissions to contain climate change.
Personal carbon trading
In 2024 and years following, there has been talk of "dramatic reduction", of disruption, and even of the "definitive" elimination" of the rationing system.
Rationing in Cuba

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the ration family

rations ration rationing

rationing — used about once every 5,793 pages · #10,206 · point at the bar for the others

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