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

Black Americans are overrepresented in industries like retail, health and social services, and government administration, according to a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey. —Matt Brown, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

Free; Runners can raise money for Molly’s Angels Foundation and Monarch School for homeless youths and Vista Hill, which provides mental health, education, and social services. —Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025

Individuals who are homeless in Milwaukee can call 211 to find available shelter, meal programs and other social services. —Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 21 Nov. 2025

The people utilizing the permanent housing are not required to also partake in the critical social services on site, though city staff say the majority in these types of programs do. —Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus