ring-fenceverb [ T ]
also ring fence uk/ˈrɪŋˌfens//ˈrɪŋˌfens/UKspecialized finance & economics, business to make sure that a sum of money is protected and only used for a particular purpose; to protect a particular area of spending so that there is no reduction in the amount spent on it:
Over £500 million was ring-fenced for improvements to the transport system.
The following ring-fenced areas account for around 46 percent of total departmental spending.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Defending and protecting
- baby
- bandobast
- bastion
- biodefence
- cherish
- featherbed
- guard
- kill
- mollycoddle
- mother
- out of harm's way idiom
- overprotective
- patrol
- proof
- proof
- protect
- protective
- rustproof
- wrap
- wrap sb (up) in cotton wool idiom
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ring-fencenoun [ C usually singular ]
also ring fence UKspecialized finance & economics, business something that protects a sum of money or area of spending so that it cannot be reduced or is kept separate from other amounts or areas:
The company established a ring-fence around losses dating from 2012.