dole

¹ American  

[dohl] / doʊl /

noun

1. a portion or allotment of money, food, etc., especially as given at regular intervals by a charity or for maintenance.

   Synonyms:

   pittance, share, alms

2. a dealing out or distributing, especially in charity.

3. a form of payment to the unemployed instituted by the British government in 1918.

4. any similar payment by a government to an unemployed person.

5. Archaic. one's fate or destiny.

---

verb (used with object)

doled, doling

1. to distribute in charity.

2. to give out sparingly or in small quantities (usually followed byout ).

   The last of the water was doled out to the thirsty crew.

   Synonyms:

   ration, mete

idioms

1. on the dole, receiving payment from the government, as relief.

   They couldn't afford any luxuries while living on the dole.

dole ² American  

[dohl] / doʊl /

noun

Archaic.

1. grief or sorrow; lamentation.

---

Dole ³ American  

[dohl] / doʊl /

noun

1. Robert J(oseph), 1923–2021, U.S. politician: senator 1969–96.

2. Sanford Ballard, 1844–1926, U.S. politician and jurist in Hawaii: president of Republic of Hawaii 1894–98; first territorial governor 1900–03.

---

dole ¹ British  

/ dəʊl /

noun

1. a small portion or share, as of money or food, given to a poor person

2. the act of giving or distributing such portions

3. informal money received from the state while out of work

4. informal receiving such money

5. archaic fate

---

verb

1. to distribute, esp in small portions

dole ² British  

/ dəʊl /

noun

1. archaic grief or mourning

---

Etymology

Origin of dole¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dol, dal “part, subdivision,” Old English dāl, gedāl “sharing”; deal ¹

Origin of dole²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dol, dol(e), doll from Old French duel, doel, from Late Latin dolus, for Latin dolor dolor

Example Sentences

Bernstein models that CoreWeave will dole out $30 billion toward capital expenditures, resulting in $23 billion of negative free cash flow in 2026.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

In the suit, Kwatra says managers had authorized him to dole out extra gift cards to clients as an incentive to keep their business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

Rea said he was on the dole at the time, his manager had just left him and he had been banned from driving.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

Those included $42,000 bonuses for prison psychiatrists in a 2023 contract and more recently $20,000 bonuses the state had to dole out to mental health workers through a long-running prisoner rights lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2025

All the boys in the lanes and back streets that have fathers on the dole or working in laboring jobs have to join.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt