dole out

verb

doled out; doling out; doles out

transitive verb

1

: to give or deliver in small portions

2

: dish out

Synonyms

• distribute
• dispense
• provide
• deal (out)
• hand out
• allocate
• divide

Choose the Right Synonym for dole out

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group.

distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.

distributed food to the needy

dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.

dispensed wisdom to the students

divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.

three charitable groups divided the proceeds

deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.

deal out equipment and supplies

dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.

doled out what little food there was

Examples of dole out in a Sentence

she doles out office supplies as if she were paying for them out of her own pocket

Recent Examples on the Web

Soros has doled out more than 75% of his fortune through his Open Society Foundations, which back global humanitarian aid, civic engagement and safeguarding individual freedoms. —Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Mariah Carey, will be honored with the ceremonies' Video Vanguard Award, while the presenter list is equally glamorous, with Ciara, Drew Barrymore, Ashlee Simpson and Jessica Simpson, and many more doling out awards throughout the night. —Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

Try the TikTok-viral brand’s Dreamweave Waffle Robe next, which takes advantage of a proprietary weave and a 100-percent Turkish cotton composition while doling out cloudlike softness, incredible lightness, and an absorbency that just might make toweling off after a shower optional. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025

Instead, the policy will give businesses that dole out smaller wages for tipped workers an outsize advantage. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dole out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout