welfare

[ wel-fair ]

/ ˈwɛlˌfɛər /

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See synonyms for: welfare / welfares 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.

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Idioms about welfare

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

OTHER WORDS FROM welfare

an·ti·wel·fare, adjective

Words nearby welfare

Welcome Wagon, weld, welding rod, weldment, Weldon, welfare, welfare economics, welfare fund, welfare hotel, welfare mother, welfare state

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use welfare in a sentence

Not only is getting out and about good for your health, it also does wonders for your dog’s welfare, Gruen says.
How to help your pet with separation anxiety|Sara Kiley Watson|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
In a country with some 210 million people, such a system could speed up the delivery of social welfare and tax benefits, and make public policies more efficient.
Brazil is sliding into techno-authoritarianism|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Beyond boosting profits, their efforts are driven by an imminent climate crisis, in which cattle play a significant role, and growing concern for livestock welfare among consumers.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
So, the costs — of pollution, of degraded animal welfare — that are currently not being borne by either producers or consumers of food, would have to be borne.
How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Ep. 386 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 6, 2020|Freakonomics

In effect, it enhances social insurance protections and is a step towards universal basic income, both policies I think would improve social welfare even in the absence of a pandemic.
Economists Think Congress Should Keep Paying Unemployed Workers $600 A Week — Or Even More|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Many parents have been defeated in their efforts to get help from child welfare departments.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2011, only 27 percent of families living in poverty were receiving welfare assistance.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block|Monica Potts|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This year, a bare-bones welfare program will continue into the New Year without being updated.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block|Monica Potts|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Once upon a time Bill Clinton and a bipartisan congressional majority ended welfare as we once knew it.
With Immigration Move, Obama and the Welfare Party Strike Again|Lloyd Green|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Feeling secure regarding their happiness and welfare, she did not miss them except with an occasional intense longing.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
These are obtained easily, whence follow the sinister reports that they give your Majesty, to the harm of the public welfare.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
His wife was ignorant of the cause of his staying out so long, and suffered greatly from anxiety about his welfare.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Occasions happen when the removal of directors is essential to the welfare of a corporation.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
I am sending this by Wong, as I am watched closely, though he pretends to be looking out only for my welfare.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for welfare

welfare

/ (ˈwɛlˌfɛə) /

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

Cultural definitions for welfare

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.

welfare

Idioms about welfare

Origin of welfare

OTHER WORDS FROM welfare

Words nearby welfare

Words related to welfare

How to use welfare in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for welfare

Word Origin for welfare

Cultural definitions for welfare