as in distributing
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 doling out
Trump is just straight-up doling out untruths – and blaming Biden.
—
David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Conte remained defiant about his central role in doling out designer steroids to elite athletes.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Every Sunday, Avenida Paulista closes to cars and becomes a pedestrian boulevard with musicians performing on street corners and food vendors doling out fresh sugarcane juice.
—AFAR Media, 17 Oct. 2025
This one does things a bit differently, though, being of the non-aerosol variety and instead doling out its magic in powder form.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
The series peeks behind the plastic countertops at the people doling out driver's licenses and car registrations, finding humor in driving tests, angry patrons and office politics.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
This isn’t just a quirky uncle at Thanksgiving doling out wacky advice.
—Flavia Mangan Colgan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025
Even before she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska (2002), the 95-year-old actor had been a go-to Everygrandma, doling out enough geriatric sass to make the Golden Girls bow down yet doing so in the most polite, Midwestern way imaginable.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Consider the absurdity of carving a single oozing arancini into three or four pieces, doling out two measly salad leaves each to a foursome, or hacking a pristine fish fillet into chum for five.
—Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Conte remained defiant about his central role in doling out designer steroids to elite athletes.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Every Sunday, Avenida Paulista closes to cars and becomes a pedestrian boulevard with musicians performing on street corners and food vendors doling out fresh sugarcane juice.
—AFAR Media, 17 Oct. 2025
This one does things a bit differently, though, being of the non-aerosol variety and instead doling out its magic in powder form.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
The series peeks behind the plastic countertops at the people doling out driver's licenses and car registrations, finding humor in driving tests, angry patrons and office politics.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
This isn’t just a quirky uncle at Thanksgiving doling out wacky advice.
—Flavia Mangan Colgan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2025
Even before she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska (2002), the 95-year-old actor had been a go-to Everygrandma, doling out enough geriatric sass to make the Golden Girls bow down yet doing so in the most polite, Midwestern way imaginable.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Consider the absurdity of carving a single oozing arancini into three or four pieces, doling out two measly salad leaves each to a foursome, or hacking a pristine fish fillet into chum for five.
—Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doling out
Verb
-
Lionsgate is distributing the movie domestically, while Universal handles the global launch.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The Capital Area Food Bank has been distributing food to federal workers affected by the shutdown.—
The NPR Network,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sigillo For oenophiles, Spatafora recommends a visit to Sigillo to try out wines served from its WineEmotion dispensing machine.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Geuss recalls a mentor—a school teacher of his—dispensing advice about becoming a visual artist.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Heart Party Favors or Milk Chocolate Heart Candy Canes are ideal for handing out to your child’s class or party favors for your Galentine’s get-together, while the 10-ounce bags are perfect for baking or filling a candy bowl at home or the office.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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Both are on a mission, handing out flyers for Luis’ missing daughter, Mar, swallowed by the seemingly endless nomadic rave culture.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Equipment needs and operational enhancements are being actively addressed through the current city budget process, reflecting our ongoing commitment to providing excellent service to our community.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
EngineAI confirmed that its production models are powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor, providing up to 2000 TOPS of AI compute, along with a 360-degree LiDAR perception system.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The singer's annual holiday clip is dividing fans this year.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Similar efforts have emerged in Missouri, where the state legislature passed a new map dividing Kansas City among three congressional districts.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Grossmont board focuses on grantmaking, allocating funds from property tax levies for a range of programs.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Oral arguments, typically constrained to an hour (allocating 30 minutes for each side), will be expanded, underscoring the gravity and complexity of the case.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doling%20out. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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