as in distributes
to give out (something) to appropriate individuals
she doles out office supplies as if she were paying for them out of her own pocket
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Recent Examples of doles out
Each year, the Masters doles out millions of dollars in a grand prize that is divided among the players with the best scores.
—
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
McKellen lands every snippy bon mot and backhanded compliment that Julian doles out, but Coel makes every crack in Lori’s facade really count, as the mystery behind her commitment to Julian unfurls.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Aziza Scott is a hoot as Anna’s pregnant best friend/real-talk Greek chorus of sorts, and Coiro herself doles out zingers as a random tourist on a bus.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Old Town Corner Bakery The best takeaway breakfast can be found at Old Town Corner Bakery, which doles out delicious savory pies, buttery croissants, and drip coffees.
—Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
On the website, an anonymous support team doles out round-ups and aggregates interview highlights, to fill out the content garden.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Football is king in the SEC and dictates the buckets of television money the conference doles out.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Through a combination of buttery-smooth fabric, mighty arch support, impact-absorbing memory foam, and the kind of curved, rocker-like outsole that doles out both traction and momentum on any surface.
—Rudolf Obias, Footwear News, 3 Mar. 2026
Lambert’s script doles out details in small measures, requiring patience from her audience.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2026
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
McKellen lands every snippy bon mot and backhanded compliment that Julian doles out, but Coel makes every crack in Lori’s facade really count, as the mystery behind her commitment to Julian unfurls.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Aziza Scott is a hoot as Anna’s pregnant best friend/real-talk Greek chorus of sorts, and Coiro herself doles out zingers as a random tourist on a bus.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Old Town Corner Bakery The best takeaway breakfast can be found at Old Town Corner Bakery, which doles out delicious savory pies, buttery croissants, and drip coffees.
—Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026
On the website, an anonymous support team doles out round-ups and aggregates interview highlights, to fill out the content garden.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
Football is king in the SEC and dictates the buckets of television money the conference doles out.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Through a combination of buttery-smooth fabric, mighty arch support, impact-absorbing memory foam, and the kind of curved, rocker-like outsole that doles out both traction and momentum on any surface.
—Rudolf Obias, Footwear News, 3 Mar. 2026
Lambert’s script doles out details in small measures, requiring patience from her audience.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doles out
Verb
-
Jerry Nowicki is the editor-in-chief of Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide.—
Jerry Nowicki,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The treasurer’s office collects tax dollars, tells the auditor’s office what was collected, and then the auditor distributes the funds to the governmental units, Petalas said.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ali Riza Dogan, the owner of Manhattan restaurant Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine, hands out free meals weekly and has invited homeless people to sleep in his restaurant's entryway on cold nights.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Roxana Jullapat hands out chocolate muffins to her team.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hameed provides the voice and remote puppetry, while Shah inhabits the bear costume onstage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation offers a Free Snack Program that provides nutritious meals for youths — newborns to 18-year-olds — at its public parks.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Season 3 President Reagan and Soviet Premier Andropov sign lunar peace treaty which essentially divides the Moon between them.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Beverage director Jax Donahue divides the cocktail menu between classics and two rotating destinations (recently from San Francisco to Mexico City).—
Chris Malloy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then, using a scoring system the county selects projects and allocates funds.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The auction allocates securities based on the bids submitted, with primary dealers often purchasing a significant share and then distributing those securities in the secondary market.—
Colin Dodds,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doles out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doles%20out. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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