welfare state
noun
1
: a social system based on the assumption by a political state of primary responsibility for the individual and social welfare of its citizens
2
: a nation or state characterized by the operation of the welfare state system
Examples of welfare state in a Sentence
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With Kuwait’s economy shrinking for two straight years and oil prices below breakeven levels, reducing the number of citizens can help ease the burden on the country’s generous welfare state.
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semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
What took shape instead were President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and the broader suite of Great Society programs—a sweeping expansion of the American welfare state, though one that stopped short of the jobs guarantee that Rustin, King, and Randolph had deemed essential.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Even the most generous welfare states do very little to defray those costs.
—New York Times, 24 July 2025
This is a key reason why the current U.K. Government’s attempts to reform the welfare state, which are putting it at odds with some of its own MPs and supporters, are so crucial.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for welfare state
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semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
What took shape instead were President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and the broader suite of Great Society programs—a sweeping expansion of the American welfare state, though one that stopped short of the jobs guarantee that Rustin, King, and Randolph had deemed essential.
—Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Even the most generous welfare states do very little to defray those costs.
—New York Times, 24 July 2025
This is a key reason why the current U.K. Government’s attempts to reform the welfare state, which are putting it at odds with some of its own MPs and supporters, are so crucial.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for welfare state
Cite this Entry
“Welfare state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/welfare%20state. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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