public assistance

noun

: government aid to needy, aged, or disabled persons and to dependent children

Examples of public assistance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Families on public assistance or who earn less than $35,000 a year can receive $250 worth of services – spay or neutering, vaccinations, microchip identification – for just $15. Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 The other initiatives, however, remain funded and include free California State Park Adventure Passes for fourth-graders and their families, and Golden Bear Passes for families enrolled in CalWORKs, the state’s public assistance program. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 But experts warn that deadly health risks may grow, as many public assistance programs that were in effect in the early years of the pandemic – such as eviction moratoriums – are ended. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 Of course, little gets built in this country without some public assistance. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 15 Feb. 2024 Police had sought public assistance in locating Towers. Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 12 Feb. 2024 About 8% of institutions show their students' median income a decade after enrolling is less than $22,000 a year, or about 150% of the federal poverty line — low enough to qualify for some public assistance programs, The HEA Group found. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024 In Maryland, hackers targeted Electronic Benefits Transfer cards—used to provide public assistance funds for food—to steal more than $2 million in 2022 and the first months of 2023. Nicole Tisdale, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024 To qualify, people must live in or have moved away from an area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) as eligible for individual or public assistance. Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public assistance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public assistance was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near public assistance

Cite this Entry

“Public assistance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20assistance. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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