social services

British

plural noun

welfare activities organized by the state or a local authority and carried out by trained personnel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Expansions in social services and other spending priorities have driven this surge.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

People without permanent housing are more likely to cycle through emergency rooms, interact with social services, and appear unstable in clinical settings.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

Since 2007, Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip, where it has functioned both as a military force and a de facto government dispensing social services.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Religious endowments known as bonyads control billions of dollars in assets that bankroll social services for the poor, salaries for clergy and industrial manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

She'd called social services, but nothing ever seemed to happen.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023