rationing
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The U.S. government has engaged in rationing usually only under conditions of extreme shortage or economic hardship; certain resources were rationed, for example, during World War II.
Explanation
Rationing is carefully controlling the amount of something that people use. During World War Two, Americans participated in the rationing of food, gasoline, and other materials. When something is in short supply, like rubber and metal during the Second World War, a government will often institute rationing to save that material, making sure there's enough of it for emergencies. Rationing during the war meant that people had a specific amount of food they could buy each week, and once an item was used up, they had to wait until they got a new ration book to buy more. Ration means "hand out in fixed amounts."
Vocabulary lists containing rationing
World War I
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World War II
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Economics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Asian countries are rationing fuel, governments are emptying their crude-oil stockpiles, airlines are canceling thousands of flights, and Middle East alliances are fracturing.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
He said there is no need for fuel rationing in the foreseeable future, highlighting that Australia now has more fuel than before the Iran conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
And many more countries are seeing reductions in gas consumption, he said, either through rationing or by encouraging students and employees to work remotely.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
People clearly aren’t yet rationing their fuel, or putting off that trip to the grocery store.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
After the gasoline rationing and the public transport strike, she had unearthed this childhood toy from the basement as her only means of getting around.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
