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
Champion said she was pleased the government has committed to "taking forward" all 20 of Prof Jay's recommendations - but called for the government to ring-fence funding for each of them.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025
Top diplomat Wang Yi rejected Kerry's plea to ring-fence climate from broader bilateral disputes, saying climate "cannot be separated from the overall environment of Sino-U.S. relations".
From Reuters ● Jul. 20, 2023
These, too, are in the ring-fence with the hills and woods, the yellow iris of the common, and the red-roofed farm-houses.
From The Hills and the Vale by Richard Jefferies
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.
