welfare state

American  

noun

welfare states plural

1. a state in which the welfare of the people in such matters as social security, health and education, housing, and working conditions is the responsibility of the government.

---

welfare state British  

noun

1. a system in which the government undertakes the chief responsibility for providing for the social and economic security of its population, usually through unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and other social-security measures

2. a social system characterized by such policies

---

welfare state ¹ Cultural  

1. An economic system that combines features of capitalism and socialism by retaining private ownership while the government enacts broad programs of social welfare, such as pensions and public housing.

---

welfare state ² Cultural  

1. A state or government that promotes public welfare through programs of public health, pensions, unemployment compensation, public housing, and the like. The expression welfare state is often used by those hostile to government intervention in these areas.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• welfare states
  plural

Etymology

Origin of welfare state

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

welfare state

The country created a welfare state that provided nationals with universal healthcare and education.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

If it is, the real consumption trade may start not in the mall, but in the welfare state.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

“I call this the social welfare state of two. We’ve privatized dependency within marriage.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

It was only in the 1990s that Germany began to let its defense industry shrivel again as it diverted spending toward the welfare state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

By this argument, belief in demonic magic ought not to have declined until there was a general improvement in living standards, and perhaps not until the development of the welfare state.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• social democracy