parceling

American  

[pahr-suh-ling] / ˈpɑr sə lɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of separating or dividing into parts and distributing; allotting or apportioning.

2. Nautical. strips of canvas, usually coated with tar, for wrapping around a rope to protect it.

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Other Word Forms

• unparceling adjective
• unparcelling adjective

Etymology

Origin of parceling

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at parcel, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

In the run-up to “One Battle After Another,” DiCaprio played the traditional role of the elusive movie star, parceling out access and promotional appearances.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

California became an agricultural powerhouse by taming its rivers and parceling out their flows.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2024

The insurance department, in turn, has encouraged companies to ask for all the rate increases they need at once, rather than parceling out requests over time.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2023

Inside the Weggs’ yellow colonial, on five acres north of Indianapolis, Rodney had been parceling out limited information.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2021

Or was it just more of the same parceling out of fortunes that had brought us this far, to this place where our path would finally divide into two?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• distribution