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
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
Examples of welfare in a Sentence
Noun
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 on the Web
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 1 July 2025
So, mental health, animal welfare, LGBTQ rights - our role was really to help make those passions actionable.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
John Harwood, CNN, 19 Sep. 2021
Starting near the end of the last century, the rhetoric of business-minded reform increasingly cloaked the politics of deregulation, anti-welfare cutbacks, and austerity.
—Kyle Edward Williams, The New Republic, 9 Dec. 2020
See All Example Sentences for welfare
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
This time around, opponents include immigration advocates who are worried about a lack of oversight at the facility, as well as the welfare of detainees being held in tents in Florida's notorious summer humidity and what forecasters predict will be another above-average hurricane season.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 1 July 2025
So, mental health, animal welfare, LGBTQ rights - our role was really to help make those passions actionable.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
Moderate Democrats fear pro-welfare and anti-business labels.
—John Harwood, CNN, 19 Sep. 2021
Starting near the end of the last century, the rhetoric of business-minded reform increasingly cloaked the politics of deregulation, anti-welfare cutbacks, and austerity.
—Kyle Edward Williams, The New Republic, 9 Dec. 2020
See All Example Sentences for welfare
Cite this Entry
“Welfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/welfare. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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