public assistance

[puhb-lik uh-sis-tuhns]

noun

1. government aid to poor, disabled, or aged people or to dependent children, as financial assistance or food stamps.

public assistance

noun

1. payment given to individuals by government agencies on the basis of need

Other Word Forms

• public-assistance adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of public assistance¹

First recorded in 1900–05