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.
Beijing’s Five-Year Plan emphasizes public well-being and social security, signaling a shift towards structural reforms.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
In recent years Scotland has struck out on a different path to the rest of the UK when it comes to income tax and social security.
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
The regularisation, he adds, "will allow me to work and contribute to the social security system."
From BBC • Mar. 8, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
