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View synonyms for

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. 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.

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


welfare

/ ˈɛˌɛə /

noun

  1. health, happiness, prosperity, and well-being in general
    1. financial and other assistance given to people in need
    2. ( as modifier )

      welfare services

  2. Also calledwelfare work plans or work to better the social or economic conditions of various underprivileged groups
  3. the welfare informal.
    the public agencies involved with giving such assistance
  4. on welfare
    in receipt of financial aid from a government agency or other source
“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

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.
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Other Word Forms

  • t·ɱf adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of welfare1

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

Origin of welfare1

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

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ms Carter, a welfare and campaigns officer for the university and who just graduated from a sustainable development degree, said she planned to vote.

From

Campaigners estimate more than 300,000 homes could lose heating - or have it stuck on constantly - in what energy regulator Ofgem has called "an urgent consumer welfare issue".

From

Thinking of Medicaid as welfare serves an important aspect of the conservative program, in that it makes Medicaid politically easier to cut, like all “welfare” programs.

From

In March, the Labour government announced plans for major changes to the benefits system aimed at cutting the growing amount the UK spent on welfare.

From

They have a clear plan for housing and for public transit, and as artificial intelligence takes over jobs, they have a plan to increase welfare.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Weldonwelfare economics