social security

American  

[soh-shuhl si-kyoor-i-tee] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

noun

1. 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.

2. the theory or practice of providing economic security and social welfare for the individual through government programs maintained by funds from public taxation.

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social security British  

noun

1. public provision for the economic, and sometimes social, welfare of the aged, unemployed, etc, esp through pensions and other monetary assistance

2. (often capitals) a government programme designed to provide such assistance

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Etymology

Origin of social security

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The SNP, which has been in government in Scotland since 2007, has also increased spending on social security.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The SFC predicts that the overall funding gap for devolved social security benefits will reach £2bn by the same point.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

State pensions in most of Europe remain more generous than U.S. social security, reducing the incentive to build nest eggs in the market.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

It will also favor workers overall, they argue—the country’s rigid labor laws have forced some 40% of Argentina’s workers to operate in the informal economy, without contracts or social security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

I'm five ten, weigh 160 pounds, my social security number is nine randomly selected numbers, and I turned twenty-two last month.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan