welfare

noun wel·fare \ ˈwel-ˌfer \

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: welfare in a Sentence

Definition of welfare

1 : the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity

must look out for your own welfare

2 a : aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need

b : an agency or program through which such aid is distributed

See welfare defined for English-language learners

See welfare defined for kids

Examples of welfare in a Sentence

He wants to do away with welfare.
I have your welfare at heart.
The welfare of all the orphans was at stake.
She donates to organizations concerned about animal welfare.

Recent Examples of welfare from the Web

The boy has been placed with child welfare officials, according to local TV station KRIS.

— jeff truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "Texas Mom Accused of Selling 7-Year-Old Son for $2,500 to Settle a Drug Debt: Police," 5 July 2018
This outpouring of compassion for the welfare of families in legal difficulties, however, can be seen with a much wider view.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Extending compassion beyond migrant kids," 26 June 2018
The lawmakers wanted access to check on the welfare of children being kept there amid outrage over a Trump administration crackdown that resulted in families being separated at the southern U.S. border.

— skyler swisher, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Ex-employee at Homestead immigration center under scrutiny admitted to sex abuse," 20 June 2018
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepubic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl About this report Child-care assistance is just one of the many complex issues of child welfare in Arizona.

— The Republic | azcentral.com, "Think you’re paying a lot for summer child care? You’re not the only one," 11 June 2018
The audit concluded child welfare officials recognized systemic problems but failed for years to fix them.

— molly young, OregonLive.com, "Changes for Oregon's struggling foster care system: Longtime manager will be replaced," 11 May 2018
Indiana child welfare officials closed KiddieGarden, 1853 E. 38th St., after Indianapolis mother Tiffany Griffin said her 1-year-old son, Jesse Harris IV, was severely beaten there on April 30.

— vic ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "Prosecutor won't file charges in assault on 1 year old at day care," 10 May 2018
Harold Augusto Flores Valenzuela, the government official in charge of child welfare at the time, told Igor later that a CICIG official had instructed him to do whatever necessary to put the child in the orphanage.

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "George Soros and the ‘Caravan’," 6 May 2018
Democratic equality recognizes that freedom can only follow if each individual is also guaranteed a baseline — of resources, welfare, rights — that guarantees our functioning.

— vanessa bee, Daily Intelligencer, "How We Can Get a More Equal Union," 27 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of welfare

Middle English, from the phrase wel faren to fare well

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

welfare Synonyms

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

welfare

adjective

Definition of welfare

1 : of, relating to, or concerned with welfare and especially with improvement of the welfare of disadvantaged social groups

welfare legislation

2 : receiving public welfare benefits

welfare families

Recent Examples of welfare from the Web

Even overtly welfare-ish Medicaid payments—originally intended to provide care for poor children—now go largely to long-term care for mainly middle-class elderly.

— eric b. schnurer, The Atlantic, "'It's the Grandparents Stealing From the Grandchildren'," 12 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of welfare

1886

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

WELFARE Defined for English Language Learners

welfare

noun

Definition of welfare for English Language Learners

: a government program for poor or unemployed people that helps pay for their food, housing, medical costs, etc.
: the state of being happy, healthy, or successful