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
Her parents worked in the family’s furniture store, where Weiss’s father, Lou, had a flair for marketing, doling out a line of candies called Weiss Krispie Treats to customers.
—
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Laime had a tendency to get involved with her listeners, trading emails back and forth after doling out advice.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
In a Thursday release, the Commission said it’s never shared its methodology used in doling out about $168 million to about 37,000 grant winners across the state to support students from low-income families.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west, invested $42 million in a start-up called Zhipu AI to bring a new model-training center and research facility to the city.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
The funding comes from a $250 million pot of money the Federal Emergency Management Agency is doling out through a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant program.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Laime had a tendency to get involved with her listeners, trading emails back and forth after doling out advice.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
In a Thursday release, the Commission said it’s never shared its methodology used in doling out about $168 million to about 37,000 grant winners across the state to support students from low-income families.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west, invested $42 million in a start-up called Zhipu AI to bring a new model-training center and research facility to the city.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
The funding comes from a $250 million pot of money the Federal Emergency Management Agency is doling out through a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant program.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doling out
Verb
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The 44-year-old Ball pleaded guilty to distributing six ounces of fentanyl and was sentenced to 10 years Wednesday.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2026
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Teenagers have been publicly sentenced to long terms of hard labor for watching or distributing South Korean media.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though your sink may not be running constantly, the dispensing pipe always has water ready to be used.—
Katey Psencik,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
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The number of beet juice-dispensing trucks in the city of Chicago, according to Cole Stallard, Chicago’s commissioner of Streets and Sanitation.—
Jeff Martin,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
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
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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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As the sector transitions from the initial brute-force stage of training large models to the challenge of running them affordably and efficiently on a large scale, designers are dividing into rival factions.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Through the deal, Authentic is dividing Guess’s IP and operations, with Authentic owning 51% of the IP.—
Hilary Milnes,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Voters in 2014 approved Proposition 1, allocating $1 billion for a water storage project in the Sacramento Valley that remains under construction.—
Nadia Lathan,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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Trump’s 2025 tax and budget bill reflected this reprioritization, allocating US$170 billion over four years to immigration enforcement, compared to approximately $30 billion allocated in 2024.—
Kelsey Norman,
The Conversation,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doling%20out. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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