social service

noun

plural social services

: a program or effort designed to promote human or societal well-being

specifically : organized help for people who are in need of assistance with basic needs (such as food, housing, safety, or job training) or with medical needs (such as addiction or mental illness)

—usually plural

Most states are struggling with skimpy resources and a system of uncoordinated social services that is totally inadequate to serve a population of individuals whose needs are bottomless.

—Constance Holden

… attacked the idea of social services, claiming that the only entity entitled to provide care is the church, not the government.

—Tori Otten

—often used before another noun

social service agencies

Until the bridge's closure, the island hosted and supported social service programs including homeless shelters and an addiction recovery campus.

—Ellie Wolfe

Examples of social service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The church did not report the incident to law enforcement or social services in 2005. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Her work included providing social services such as access to employment counselling and health care to low-income, minority residents in central Pennsylvania. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

The first nine address immigration, access to provincial services such as health care, education and other social services, and potential changes to the Canadian Constitution. — Sheena Rossiter, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026

United Torah Judaism United Torah Judaism is an alliance of two ultra-Orthodox parties focused largely on social services for their community. — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus