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
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.
The department, later reorganized into the Department of Health and Human Services, oversees federal programs related to health and social welfare. Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 15 Oct. 2025 While attacked by Washington, the FSLN enjoyed the sympathy and support of many American allies, including Western European democracies sympathetic to their revolutionary commitment to social welfare. Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025 Although Tokyo will probably meet its 2022 pledge to double defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, the Trump administration is lobbying for a 3.5% target, a big ask in a nation awash in debt and prospects for escalating social welfare outlays for a rapidly aging population. Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025 Osiris Luna, Bukele’s prison director, and Carlos Marroquin, a presidential ally in charge of social welfare programs, reached an agreement with the gang’s ruling council, known as the Ranfla, according to U.S. court documents and interviews with U.S. and Salvadoran law enforcement officials. T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for social welfare

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of social welfare was in 1912

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Cite this Entry

“Social welfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20welfare. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Medical Definition

social welfare

noun
social wel·​fare -ˈwel-ˌfa(ə)r, -ˌfe(ə)r How to pronounce social welfare (audio)
: organized public or private social services for the assistance of disadvantaged groups
specifically : social work

More from Merriam-Webster on social welfare

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