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

The Primetime Emmy Awards will be doled out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. —Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025

However, peaches are high in sugar, so only dole out the peaches in small doses. —Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 12 July 2025

In addition, the studio must pay a percentage of the box office sales to theater owners for exhibiting the movie, plus dole out residuals and other expenses related to the film. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025

The Pistols never rose out of the clubs during their original incarnation and lived off near-starvation wages doled out to them every week by McLaren. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 July 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