- any of various social services designed to alleviate the conditions of poor and elderly people and to increase the welfare of children
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈso•cial ˌwork, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Sociologyany organized service or activity to improve social conditions in a community, such as assistance to troubled families.
so′cial work′,
so′cial work′er.
- Sociologyorganized work directed toward the betterment of social conditions in the community, as by seeking to improve the condition of the poor, to promote the welfare of children, etc.
- 1915–20
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
social work n
'social work' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
casework
- mission
- Salvation Army
- A.M.S.W.
- case history
- child welfare
- D.S.W.
- M.S.W.
- settlement