Synonyms

apportion

American

[uh-pawr-shuhn, uh-pohr-] / əˈpɔr ʃən, əˈpoʊr- /

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.

apportion British

/ əˈpɔːʃən /

verb

(tr) to divide, distribute, or assign appropriate shares of; allot proportionally

to apportion the blame

"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

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Past

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Etymology

Origin of apportion

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

Explanation

To apportion is to divide something into shares and hand it out. With 11 guests at your birthday party, it makes sense to cut the cake into 12 slices and apportion one to each — leaving one slice for you! The verb apportion means "allocate" or "divvy up," and it's often used to talk about the way money is distributed. For example, your parents might evenly apportion an allowance to each of their children, or apportion slightly less money to your youngest sibling. In government, power is also apportioned in various ways, as when laws apportion a certain number of congressional representatives to each state.

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Vocabulary lists containing apportion

The Legislative Branch, Sections 1–3

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In the Shadow of Liberty

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023