dole

1
[ dohl ]
See synonyms for dole on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a portion or allotment of money, food, etc., especially as given at regular intervals by a charity or for maintenance.

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

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

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

  3. Archaic. one's fate or destiny.

verb (used with object),doled, dol·ing.
  1. to distribute in charity.

  2. to give out sparingly or in small quantities (usually followed by out): The last of the water was doled out to the thirsty crew.

Idioms about dole

  1. on the dole, receiving payment from the government, as relief: They couldn't afford any luxuries while living on the dole.

Origin of dole

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English dol, dal “part, subdivision,” Old English dāl, gedāl “sharing”; see origin at deal1

Other words for dole

Other definitions for dole (2 of 3)

dole2
[ dohl ]

nounArchaic.
  1. grief or sorrow; lamentation.

Origin of dole

2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dol, dol(e), doll from Old French duel, doel, from Late Latin dolus, for Latin dolor dolor

Other definitions for Dole (3 of 3)

Dole
[ dohl ]

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dole in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dole (1 of 2)

dole1

/ (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

  1. the dole British informal money received from the state while out of work

  2. on the dole British informal receiving such money

  3. archaic fate

verb
  1. (tr usually foll by out) to distribute, esp in small portions

Origin of dole

1
Old English dāl share; related to Old Saxon dēl, Old Norse deild, Gothic dails, Old High German teil; see deal 1

British Dictionary definitions for dole (2 of 2)

dole2

/ (dəʊl) /


noun
  1. archaic grief or mourning

Origin of dole

2
C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dolus, from Latin dolēre to lament

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