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welfare

Syllabification: (wel·fare)
Pronunciation: /ˈwelˌfe(ə)r/
Translate welfare | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of welfare

noun

  • the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group:they don’t give a damn about the welfare of their families
  • statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need:the protection of rights to education, housing, and welfare
  • chiefly North American financial support given to people in need.

Phrases

on welfare

receiving government financial assistance for basic material needs.

Origin:

Middle English: from the adverb well1 + the verb fare

welfare in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of welfare in the British & World English dictionary
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