parcel out


Divide into parts and distribute, as in She parceled out the remaining candy among the children. This idiom uses parcel in the sense of “divide into small portions.” [Mid-1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use parcel out in a sentence

  • He is not like us: we adapt ourselves: but these people parcel out their time as if they were in a trade, don't you know?

    The Marriage of Elinor | Margaret Oliphant