welfare

[wel-fair]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR welfare ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization; well-being: to look after a child's welfare; the physical or moral welfare of society.

welfare work.

financial or other assistance to an individual or family from a city, state, or national government: Thousands of jobless people in this city would starve if it weren't for welfare.

(initial capital letter) Informal. a governmental agency that provides funds and aid to people in need, especially those unable to work.

Idioms

on welfare, receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need.

Origin of welfare

1275–1325; Middle English, from phrase wel fare. See well¹, fare

Related formsan·ti·wel·fare, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for welfare

health, benefit, well-being, interest, progress, abundance, good, advantage, success, profit, ease, euphoria, satisfaction, felicity, contentment, happiness, luck, pogey, thriving

Examples from the Web for welfare

Contemporary Examples of welfare

It was a Republican Congress working with a Democratic president that succeeded in passing the welfare reform bill the first time.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block
Monica Potts
December 25, 2014
This welfare spending discourages work, increases taxes, and operates as a hidden and inefficient subsidy to low-wage businesses.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage
Dmitri Mehlhorn
November 6, 2014
But they were not making enough profits, as the rate of growth had slowed as Brazil invested in the welfare of its own people.
What Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff Can Teach Hillary Clinton
Heather Arnet
October 29, 2014
If government planning and welfare had the answer, shouldn't we expect government to read the score to us once in a while?
Remembering Reagan’s Defining Speech
Stuart Stevens
October 27, 2014
Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority.
The Shocking Rise and Fall of ‘Honey Boo Boo’
Kevin Fallon
October 24, 2014

Historical Examples of welfare

Wealth is not inimical to welfare; it ought to be its friendliest agency.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
But a rest on one day out of seven is necessary also for the welfare of the body.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
Before, he had thought only of the horse's welfare; now it was a matter of his own life.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
For their interests he neglected his own safety and the welfare of France.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
They exhorted her to be of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her future welfare.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for welfare

welfare

noun

health, happiness, prosperity, and well-being in general

financial and other assistance given to people in need
(as modifier)welfare services

Also called: welfare work plans or work to better the social or economic conditions of various underprivileged groups

the welfare informal, mainly British the public agencies involved with giving such assistance

on welfare mainly US and Canadian in receipt of financial aid from a government agency or other source

Word Origin for welfare

C14: from the phrase wel fare; related to Old Norse velferth, German Wohlfahrt; see well 1, fare

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

Word Origin and History for welfare

Old English wel faran "condition of being or doing well," from wel (see well (adv.)) + faran "get along" (see fare (v.)). Cf. Old Norse velferð. Meaning "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is first attested 1904. Welfare state is recorded from 1941.

welfare in Culture

welfare

Government-provided support for those unable to support themselves. In the United States, it is undertaken by various federal, state, and local agencies under the auspices of different programs, the best known of which are Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and food stamps.