ring-fence
Britishverb
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to assign (money, a grant, fund, etc) to one particular purpose, so as to restrict its use
to ring-fence a financial allowance
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to oblige (a person or organization) to use money for a particular purpose
to ring-fence a local authority
noun
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.
But the big new idea is to force each practice to ring-fence 8% of its local NHS contract just for emergency care.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
The EU wants a broader "metals alliance" with Washington to ring-fence their respective economies from Chinese overcapacity.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
The governments said the framework delivers on commitments made in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and pledged to ring-fence €25m to support victims' participation.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
"If anything, support for deposit holders supports the idea that the Fed could keep tightening policy," he said, if the measures were able to ring-fence problems to a few banks.
From Reuters ● Mar. 13, 2023
But on the right hand only a low ring-fence separated us from the grounds immediately in front of the Castle, which a sudden bend in the sharply winding road brought into full view.
From Mr. Marx's Secret by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
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.
