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

The state’s budget is almost entirely consumed by education, healthcare, and social services so if Villaraigosa is planning to avoid cuts to those, there isn’t much left to cut. —Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026

Of that money, $24 million will go to existing county housing and social services programs. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026

That initiative has included evaluating social service contracts and developing criteria to guide possible cuts or restructuring. —Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026

Both were deemed social service initiatives, which do not fall under the SECA grant criteria, Brodhead said. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus