- the various social services provided by a state for the benefit of its citizens
- (capitals) (in New Zealand) a government department concerned with pensions and benefits for elderly people, sick people, etc
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
so′cial wel′fare,
- Sociologysocial services provided by a government for its citizens.
- 1915–20
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
social welfare n
'social welfare' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
health visitor
- Lang
- Palestinian National Authority
- Perón
- social security
- client
- D.S.W.
- M.S.W.
- seton