social services

British

plural noun

welfare activities organized by the state or a local authority and carried out by trained personnel

"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

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.

They are expecting more than half of that amount will be reimbursed by Los Angeles County, which provides social services for the initiative.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Expansions in social services and other spending priorities have driven this surge.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

A spokesman for Wrexham council said Steffie was not known to social services, however the council are liaising with North Wales Safeguarding Board to consider if the case meets the threshold for a review.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

People without permanent housing are more likely to cycle through emergency rooms, interact with social services, and appear unstable in clinical settings.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

And if social services comes, they might ask a lot of questions.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023