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

According to the National Association of Counties, 40 percent of home health aides live in low-income neighborhoods and rely on some form of public assistance; 30 percent of them are on Medicaid themselves.

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2025

A family with unpredictable earnings might qualify for public assistance one month and then breach the income threshold and be disqualified another.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2025

Data on weekly income, what they paid in rent, in utilities, if they were on public assistance, how long.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee