welfare

[wel-fair]

noun

1. 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.

2. welfare work.

3. 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.

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

welfare

/ ˈwɛlˌfɛə /

noun

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

2. 1. financial and other assistance given to people in need

   2. ( as modifier )

      welfare services

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

4. informal,  the public agencies involved with giving such assistance

5. in receipt of financial aid from a government agency or other source

welfare

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• antiwelfare adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of welfare¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from phrase wel fare; equivalent to well ¹ + fare

Word History and Origins

Origin of welfare¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Example Sentences

His cousin went to Hodgson’s home to conduct a welfare check and found his body.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Two days later, two men knocked on Mr Bevan's door asking about his welfare, revealing that they were neighbours who had helped him and told him he had been hit by an electric bike.

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One of the complaints of Labour MPs about the welfare proposals on which the government was forced to backtrack earlier this year was that they were sprung on them without enough groundwork having been laid.

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Her Morena party, with strong backing from poor and working-class Mexicans who have benefited from minimum-wage increases and social welfare programs, retains firm control of Congress, the courts and most statehouses across Mexico.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Voters have been lured with everything from television sets to bicycles and sometimes even gold ornaments - blurring the fine line between welfare economics and pre-poll populism.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• benefit 
• health 
• interest 
• progress 
• prosperity 
• weal 
• well-being