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

These same principles can be applied across industries to reallocate marketing spend based on channel effectiveness. —Cheryl Ragland, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

Future scholarship dollars could also potentially be reallocated under the increasing financial burden of revenue sharing, which will largely be directed to revenue sports. —Justin Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Reducing the scope of the project, and/or reallocating the $2 billion earmarked for homelessness could help close the inevitable funding gap. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025

The measure would have also commanded the U.S. Census Bureau and the Commerce Department to employ that data to exclude noncitizens from the population when reallocating states’ seats to the House of Representatives. — Made By History, Time, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above