Pork Barrel

Pronunciation: /pɔrk ˈbɛrəl/

Definitions of pork barrel

noun a government appropriation, bill, or policy that supplies funds for local improvements designed to ingratiate legislators with their constituents

Example Sentences

A1 A pork barrel is a government fund used for local projects.

A2 Politicians often use pork barrel spending to secure votes in their districts.

B1 The debate over pork barrel politics continues to be a controversial issue in many countries.

B2 Corruption scandals involving pork barrel funds have led to public outrage and calls for reform.

C1 Efforts to eliminate pork barrel spending have been met with resistance from lawmakers who benefit from the system.

C2 The allocation of pork barrel funds is often influenced by lobbying and special interest groups.

Examples of pork barrel in a Sentence

formal The senator was accused of using the pork barrel fund for personal gain.

informal I heard that politician is dipping into the pork barrel again.

slang That guy is always trying to get his hands on the pork barrel money.

figurative The company's CEO was criticized for treating the budget like a pork barrel, allocating funds based on personal interests rather than company needs.

Grammatical Forms of pork barrel

• plural: pork barrels
• comparative: more pork barrel
• superlative: most pork barrel
• present tense: pork barrels
• future tense: will pork barrel
• perfect tense: has pork barreled
• continuous tense: is pork barreling
• singular: pork barrel
• positive degree: pork barrel
• infinitive: to pork barrel
• gerund: pork barreling
• participle: pork barreled

Origin and Evolution of pork barrel

First Known Use: 1865 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'pork barrel' originated from the practice of storing pork in barrels during the early 19th century in the United States.

Evolution of the word: Initially used to refer to the government's practice of allocating funds for local projects to gain favor with constituents, the term has evolved to also signify wasteful government spending on unnecessary projects.