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
Christina Mayo, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The aunt, Emerald Johnson, phoned in multiple reports to Alameda County’s child welfare agency raising alarm over Sophia’s wellbeing under Jackson’s and Samantha Johnson’s care while the girl was still alive.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
These address family violence prevention and the health, education and welfare of women and children.
—Christina Mayo, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The aunt, Emerald Johnson, phoned in multiple reports to Alameda County’s child welfare agency raising alarm over Sophia’s wellbeing under Jackson’s and Samantha Johnson’s care while the girl was still alive.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share