on the dole
idiom
: receiving money that a government (especially the British government) gives to people who do not have jobs or who are very poor
They've been on the dole for a year.
They're going on the dole.
Examples of on the dole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My parents tolerated our weekly tryst but disapproved of Roz’s extravagance
while on the dole through family loans.
—
Jane Shore, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Their parents were working class, people were maybe on the dole.
—Kyle Rice, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2022
To the upwelling of voter aggravation, add Congress’s likely targeting of indirect benefits that effectively put almost 100% of Americans on the dole.
—WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021
No longer will farmers live on the dole.
—Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2021
Farmers, who as a group disproportionately vote Republican and support Trump, are uneasy with being seen as on the dole.
—Adam Belz, Star Tribune, 30 Oct. 2020
Even so, economists have found no evidence that the extra $600 in jobless benefits have convinced out-of-work adults to stay on the dole.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2020
Jane Shore, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
Their parents were working class, people were maybe on the dole.
—Kyle Rice, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2022
To the upwelling of voter aggravation, add Congress’s likely targeting of indirect benefits that effectively put almost 100% of Americans on the dole.
—WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021
No longer will farmers live on the dole.
—Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2021
Farmers, who as a group disproportionately vote Republican and support Trump, are uneasy with being seen as on the dole.
—Adam Belz, Star Tribune, 30 Oct. 2020
Even so, economists have found no evidence that the extra $600 in jobless benefits have convinced out-of-work adults to stay on the dole.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the dole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near on the dole
Cite this Entry
“On the dole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20dole. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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