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

The biggest change has been the addition of a red Italian marble bar at its center, which doles out martinis and Roederer bubbles at night, and turns into a buffet counter in the morning. —Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025

The Strata Elite also includes a semi-annual credit of up to $100 for the Blacklane chauffeur service, doled out between January and June and again between July and December. —Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025

At Meta, Mark Zuckerberg placed a chatbot into flagship products like Instagram and WhatsApp, raided rivals to amass talent, and doled out compensation packages that paid machine-learning engineers more than professional ballplayers. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025

In addition to doling out Neopolitan shakes, Animal Style, and 4x4 burgers (that’s four beef patties), In-N-Out is also giving back to the community. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 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