reallocate

verb

re·​al·​lo·​cate (ˌ)rē-ˈa-lə-ˌkāt 

reallocated; reallocating; reallocates

transitive verb

: to allocate (something) again: such as

a

: to apportion or distribute (something) in a new or different way

The best way to start an overhaul of the nation's statistical system would be to reallocate funds from the Agriculture Department to other agencies.

—Joseph Spiers

b

: to earmark or designate (something) for a new or different purpose

In recent years, many local low-income housing units … have been demolished or reallocated to serve wealthier residents.

—Hannah Russell

reallocation

(ˌ)rē-ˌa-lə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

plural reallocations

… the reallocation of local property taxes from library budgets to school districts …

—Ruth Perry

The reallocation for overflow parking could take away as many as 75 spots from resident students during its allotted hours …

—Emma Reith

Examples of reallocate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The change would reallocate the Forest Service’s firefighting budget to the new agency and fundamentally reorient its mission to one of extraction and recreation. —Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

In uncertain times, don’t hoard cash—reallocate it. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

In each round of redistribution, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those votes are reallocated again. —Annabella Rosciglione, The Washington Examiner, 17 June 2025

The proposal would have cut that sum by half and reallocated the money to the Met Council for Bus Rapid Transit expansion. —Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above