welfare
[wel-fair]
- 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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- on welfare, receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need.
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Origin of welfare
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
healthbenefitwell-beinginterestprogressabundancegoodadvantagesuccessprofiteaseeuphoriasatisfactionfelicitycontentmenthappinessluckpogeythrivingExamples from the Web for welfare
Contemporary Examples
It was a Republican Congress working with a Democratic president that succeeded in passing the welfare reform bill the first time.
This welfare spending discourages work, increases taxes, and operates as a hidden and inefficient subsidy to low-wage businesses.
But they were not making enough profits, as the rate of growth had slowed as Brazil invested in the welfare of its own people.
If government planning and welfare had the answer, shouldn't we expect government to read the score to us once in a while?
Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority.
Historical Examples
Wealth is not inimical to welfare; it ought to be its friendliest agency.
But a rest on one day out of seven is necessary also for the welfare of the body.
An Explanation of Luther's Small CatechismJoseph Stump
Before, he had thought only of the horse's welfare; now it was a matter of his own life.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
For their interests he neglected his own safety and the welfare of France.
The Boy Life of NapoleonEugenie Foa
They exhorted her to be of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her future welfare.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
welfare
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for welfare
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.