dole out

verb

doled out; doling out; doles out

transitive verb

1

: to give or deliver in small portions

2

: dish out

Synonyms of dole out

• 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

Musk scored another huge windfall two weeks ago when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $55 billion pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018. —Paul Harloff, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026

The federal aid comes from the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion fund that will dole out money to all states over the next five years. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2026

In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west, invested $42 million in a start-up called Zhipu AI to bring a new model-training center and research facility to the city. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026

Another sticker is doled out for each touchdown a player completes, and particularly spectacular plays also warrant a decal. —Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 1 Jan. 2026

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