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

Employers can create weekly forums where employees can share both AI successes and failures without judgment, then reallocate budgets away from underperforming AI experiments to pilots that are showing success. —Feon Ang, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025

However, the president cannot legally cancel or reallocate most federal funds already approved by Congress. —Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

The amendment would reallocate $570,965 from the capital budget for camera replacements at the Criminal Justice Facility, which houses the county jail. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025

As Wednesday wore on, much was still uncertain in terms of how remaining staff might be reallocated around the company. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above