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

Researchers looked at more than 40 social service case files of minors who were trafficked and interviewed social service workers. —Anne P. Deprince, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025

Among social services positions, individual and family services, a category that includes services for the elderly and disabled people, were the fastest-growing category last month. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025

Aspiranet offers young families free parenting classes, translation services, and other social services through support groups. —Irene Gonzalez, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

These simmering resentments, along with standard NHS protocol and the need to kick the story into gear, help explain why Liz chooses to call social services when Jess unconvincingly insists her infant daughter Betsey simply fell down while crawling. —Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus