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

While travel demand remains strong, airlines have responded by reducing or reallocating flights and, in some cases, raising fares. — Christiaan Hen, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

For Meta, the company is more likely to reallocate any internal compute that is ultimately deemed to yield a lower return and rent it out — in essence, doing the opposite of what some investors have taken issue with at Microsoft. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 July 2026

The only plan voters supported in 2006 did not involve a tax increase and instead reallocated an existing bus tax. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026

Hochschild and Bonta say that Interior illegally reallocated federal taxpayer dollars to pay Golden State Wind to abandon its offshore wind energy lease and invest an equal amount in out-of-state fossil fuel projects, which will do nothing to support California’s energy economy. — Jennifer McDermott, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above