social welfare
noun
: organized public or private social services for the assistance of disadvantaged groups
specifically
: social work
Examples of social welfare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Finally, Europe is beset with a nationalist populism and growing social welfare costs just as military expenditures are set to increase.
—
John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
Examining much more closely the cost of maintaining the large-state, social welfare model that disincentivizes private initiative.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
China's leadership is eager to reverse the trend, as the soaring number of elderly citizens is expected to increase the burden on families and strain the country's social welfare systems, sapping vitality from the world's second-largest economy.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Statistical analysis of democratic and authoritarian countries indicates that once government spending on social welfare, including for the elderly, crosses 25 percent as a proportion of a country’s budget, the likelihood that the country will initiate a militarized dispute declines significantly.
—Mark L. Haas, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for social welfare
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
Examining much more closely the cost of maintaining the large-state, social welfare model that disincentivizes private initiative.
—Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
China's leadership is eager to reverse the trend, as the soaring number of elderly citizens is expected to increase the burden on families and strain the country's social welfare systems, sapping vitality from the world's second-largest economy.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Statistical analysis of democratic and authoritarian countries indicates that once government spending on social welfare, including for the elderly, crosses 25 percent as a proportion of a country’s budget, the likelihood that the country will initiate a militarized dispute declines significantly.
—Mark L. Haas, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for social welfare
Cite this Entry
“Social welfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20welfare. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
social welfare
noun
social wel·fare
-ˈwel-ˌfa(ə)r, -ˌfe(ə)r 
: organized public or private social services for the assistance of disadvantaged groups
specifically
: social work
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share