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Synonyms

rations

British  
/ ˈræʃənz /

plural noun

  1. (sometimes singular) a fixed daily allowance of food, esp to military personnel or when supplies are limited See also iron rations

"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

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.

"Asia rations, switches to coal and can experience shortages in places" while "Europe pays very high prices to avoid shortages," said an energy industry insider on condition of anonymity.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Pensioners and families living on fixed incomes are hit the hardest, forced to stretch rations, skip meals or rely on remittances from relatives abroad — if they are lucky enough to have them.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Nearly 800 million Indians, he notes, now rely on free rations.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

“We were born in the Second World War, 1944 and we had rations — we were living on suet and you were living on steak here,” Daltrey said in his own interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

If King Barf is pleased with our gold, he sends us extra food for rations.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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.