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.

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public assistance British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• public-assistance adjective

Etymology

Origin of public assistance

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Budget analysts have identified five categories that are driving up city spending: rental assistance, public assistance, the school system, city employee overtime and payments to the state-operated transit system.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 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

All three consistently land at or near the top of lists of major corporations with significant shares of their workers collecting public assistance.

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

It’s the place to apply for public assistance when a father is dead or disappeared and there’s no dole money, no wages.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt