dole out

verb

doled out; doling out; doles out

Synonyms of dole out next

transitive verb

: to give or deliver in small portions

: dish out

Choose the Right Synonym for dole out

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group.

distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.

distributed food to the needy

dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.

dispensed wisdom to the students

divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.

three charitable groups divided the proceeds

deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.

deal out equipment and supplies

dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.

doled out what little food there was

Examples of dole out in a Sentence

she doles out office supplies as if she were paying for them out of her own pocket

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The group says the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights then told the group to expect funding by January 6th — even though grantmakers were initially anticipated to be able to start doling out subgrants in the summer of 2024. —

Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Jan. 2025 Musk, with interests from Tesla to Space X to the messaging platform X, has lots of invested in how the government decides to dole out funds and regulation. —

Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024 The nonprofit also helped connect veterans to mental health care, doled out more than 100,000 meals and distributed nearly 1,000 gun locks to help stem the tide of suicides among former military service members. —

Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024 The Bride Wars actress went shopping for holiday presents over the weekend with a hands-free bag strapped across her body, and just one 12-second TikTok clip persuaded us to dole out some change on a purse that’s just like hers. —

Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dole out