social security
Americannoun
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Usually Social Security a program of old-age, unemployment, health, disability, and survivors insurance maintained by the U.S. federal government through compulsory payments by specific employer and employee groups.
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the theory or practice of providing economic security and social welfare for the individual through government programs maintained by funds from public taxation.
noun
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public provision for the economic, and sometimes social, welfare of the aged, unemployed, etc, esp through pensions and other monetary assistance
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(often capitals) a government programme designed to provide such assistance
Etymology
Origin of social security
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
In California, people are required to provide a driver’s license number or a portion of their social security number when they register to vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The social security minister said last month it was a priority for her to introduce mandatory workplace pensions alongside the government pension.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Elma Saiz, the minister for inclusion, social security and migration, said food and basic healthcare had been provided daily to 4,000 migrants by the Red Cross.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
This allows them in many cases to ignore things like minimum wage requirements, workplace safety and access to social security.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
No one could prove he was lying since he’d been born on the home-house floor and didn’t have a birth certificate or social security card.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
