social service

noun

plural social services

: a program or effort designed to promote human or societal well-being

specifically : organized help for people who are in need of assistance with basic needs (such as food, housing, safety, or job training) or with medical needs (such as addiction or mental illness)

—usually plural

Most states are struggling with skimpy resources and a system of uncoordinated social services that is totally inadequate to serve a population of individuals whose needs are bottomless.

—Constance Holden

… attacked the idea of social services, claiming that the only entity entitled to provide care is the church, not the government.

—Tori Otten

—often used before another noun

social service agencies

Until the bridge's closure, the island hosted and supported social service programs including homeless shelters and an addiction recovery campus.

—Ellie Wolfe

Examples of social service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Federal prosecutors estimate fraud in Minnesota's Medicaid and social services programs could exceed $9 billion. —Geoff Harris, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2026

Orland Park officials are promoting a hub for social services and mental healthcare now available for residents as part of a partnership initiated in October. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

The problem of fraud in social service programs in Minnesota exploded into public view with a pandemic-era feeding program called Feeding Our Future for schoolchildren. —ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026

In other words, when our nonprofit social service sector cannot serve people because our workforce is underpaid and overworked, more people end up becoming homeless. —David Rich, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus