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

Progressive politicians pushed in 2020 for slashing at least $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget in favor of reallocating more resources for social services, after the city and the nation was rocked by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025

Washington should cancel unfilled Taiwanese orders for Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets and reallocate the funds to smaller, cheaper systems suited to a denial strategy. —Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

Liquidity Strategies For Institutional Investors Institutional investors use secondaries to reallocate exposure strategically, leveraging the market to address overcommitment issues or reposition portfolios toward higher-conviction strategies. —Henri Steenkamp, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Like Cease, all of these players are owed salaries that could be reallocated in pursuit of a more balanced roster with more years of team control. —The Athletic Mlb Staff, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above