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

Right now there is nothing stopping them from doling out tax cuts and spending promises while also driving up interest rates. —Martha Gimbel, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

But the potential for a face-plant remains, especially given the large percentage of shares that will be doled out to retail investors who are, by and large, big Musk fans but also tend to be twitchy. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 11 June 2026

Airports across the Americas were filled with fans who had doled out money to follow their teams. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

The antipoverty nonprofit organization Global Citizen will dole out tickets via a lottery system that opens June 11 with the release of lottery information and closes July 16. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 10 June 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