social welfare
Americannoun
noun
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the various social services provided by a state for the benefit of its citizens
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(capitals) (in New Zealand) a government department concerned with pensions and benefits for the elderly, the sick, etc
Etymology
Origin of social welfare
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
At UCLA, the master’s of social welfare — which runs for eight quarter sessions — amounts to more than $65,000 for California residents without financial aid.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Leaders have also signalled a willingness to borrow more to fund infrastructure, social welfare, and industrial projects - a departure from past caution over rising debt levels.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
"A lot of people live outside the job market, many receive social welfare assistance or disability pensions. So we need jobs and opportunities," she said.
From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025
Other key targets in the new five-year policy blueprint included forging a unified national market, bolstering domestic consumption, improving social welfare and modernizing the armed forces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
And it was to those with a very high IQ, he believed, that “we must look for production of leaders who advance science, art, government, education and social welfare generally.”
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
