apportion

[uh-pawr-shuh n, uh-pohr-]

See more synonyms for apportion on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to distribute or allocate proportionally; divide and assign according to some rule of proportional distribution: to apportion expenses among the three men.

Origin of apportion

1565–75; < Middle French apportionner, equivalent to ap- ap-¹ + portionner to portion

Related formsap·por·tion·a·ble, adjectiveap·por·tion·er, nounnon·ap·por·tion·a·ble, adjectiveun·ap·por·tioned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for apportion

administer, distribute, allocate, allot, accord, cut, parcel, deal, give, dispense, ration, prorate, slice, partition, bestow, part, split, lot, measure, admeasure

Examples from the Web for apportion

Contemporary Examples of apportion

Of course, we need to let the two armies investigate what exactly happened and apportion blame.
America's Pakistan Mess Gets Worse With Alleged NATO Strike
Bruce Riedel
November 27, 2011
Pundits love to apportion blame for partisan hostility equally to both sides.
The GOP’s One-Sided War on Dems
Michael Tomasky
September 9, 2011
It takes time—sometimes a very long time—to apportion power among different groups within a nascent political system.
Iraq's Political Miracle
Tunku Varadarajan
March 3, 2010

Historical Examples of apportion

By its aid, I could apportion the life-time of any mortal at whom you might point your finger.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various
It is easier of digestion and easier to apportion in uniform rations.
Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled
Hudson Stuck
"So apportion your wants that your means may exceed them," says Bulwer.
How to Succeed
Orison Swett Marden
It is not for any of us to think of attempting to apportion the blame.
Problems of Expansion
Whitelaw Reid
By its aid I could apportion the lifetime of any mortal at whom you might point your finger.
The Short-story
William Patterson Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for apportion

apportion

verb

(tr) to divide, distribute, or assign appropriate shares of; allot proportionallyto apportion the blame

Derived Formsapportionable, adjectiveapportioner, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for apportion

1570s, from Middle French apportionner, from Old French aporcioner "apportion, share out," from a- "to" (see ad-) + portioner "to divide into portions," from portion "share, portion" (see portion). Related: Apportioned; apportioning.