public assistance

American  

[puhb-lik uh-sis-tuhns] / ˈpʌb lɪk əˈsɪs təns /

noun

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

---

public assistance British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

• public-assistance
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of public assistance

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public assistance

On March 6, 1971, a few thousand people marched down the Las Vegas Strip, clogging the glitzy artery through which the city’s money flowed, to protest cuts to public assistance for the poor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, low-income households that are eligible for public assistance with their home heating bills may not get that help until late December — after cold-weather demand begins.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2025

Yet millions of their workers, including many employed full time, have to rely on public assistance, as the Government Accountability Office reported in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025

Combined with threats to federal funding for public assistance, it has been too much for many of them to bear, she said.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025

She called the welfare department to have the family’s public assistance cut off, and then reported the violation to the Housing Authority, starting the eviction process.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson