the social
noun
British, somewhat informal
: money provided by a government program to people who are unable to work because they are old, disabled, or unemployed
He's living on the social now.
Examples of the social in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And the social platforms won that power to censor through their sheer, unprecedented size.
—
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Speech without enforceable consequence undermines the social contract.
—Deb Roy, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
At present, Iran appears devoid of the social capacity needed to sustain street protests.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Our status as creatures of God confers on us certain rights that can’t be handed over as part of the social contract, rights that are at once natural and inalienable.
—Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the social
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Ben Smith, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Speech without enforceable consequence undermines the social contract.
—Deb Roy, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
At present, Iran appears devoid of the social capacity needed to sustain street protests.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Our status as creatures of God confers on us certain rights that can’t be handed over as part of the social contract, rights that are at once natural and inalienable.
—Christopher Beha, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the social
Cite this Entry
“The social.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20social. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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