social work

noun

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: social work in a Sentence

: any of various professional activities or methods concretely concerned with providing social services and especially with the investigation, treatment, and material aid of the economically, physically, mentally, or socially disadvantaged

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social worker

noun

See social work defined for English-language learners

See social work defined for kids

Examples of social work in a Sentence

She is doing social work.
He has a job in social work.

Recent Examples of social work from the Web

In 1991, she was sent to Camden to teach at Holy Name School while earning a master’s in social work at Rutgers-Camden.

— melanie burney, Philly.com, "'Mother Teresa of Camden' helping city's children fulfill dreams," 2 June 2018
Ida Lucchesi is a college student studying social work and dance.

— morgan hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Are tattoos taboo in the workplace? It depends on their size, content and placement — and company culture," 4 May 2018
These interviews are conducted by volunteers, social work interns, medical students and staff, and others.

— Washington Post, "Doctors are taught early about patient histories. Is it time for different questions?," 28 Apr. 2018
Thus, Lewis’s friend Frank Porter Graham could belong to the Southern Conference for Human Welfare and deny Pauli Murray, an NAACP member and civil rights activist, admission to University of North Carolina’s graduate program in social work.

— Longreads, "Nell Battle Lewis, Storyteller for Jim Crow," 25 May 2018
In the past, the district would have worked with the student through social work or counseling.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "Amid effort to focus on more than just academics, schools change approach to discipline," 24 May 2018
DeEbony Groves, 21, majored in social work and was among the four young people killed after a gunman opened fire at the restaurant April 22.

— peter martinez, CBS News, "Waffle House shooting victim's mother receives daughter's diploma," 6 May 2018
Twenty-one-year-old DeEbony Groves majored in social work and was among four people killed when a gunman opened fire at the restaurant on April 22.

— Fox News, "Mom of Waffle House victim receives diploma at commencement," 6 May 2018
An online doctorate program in social work is expected by the summer of 2019.

— lauren caruba, San Antonio Express-News, "Ten years after fire, OLLU thriving," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'social work.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of social work

1847

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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SOCIAL WORK Defined for English Language Learners

social work

noun

: the work done by someone who works for a government or private organization that helps people who have financial or family problems

Medical Dictionary

social work

noun

: any of various professional services, activities, or methods concretely concerned with the investigation, treatment, and material aid of the economically, physically, mentally, or socially disadvantaged