social service
noun
plural social services
: a program or effort designed to promote human or societal well-being
specifically
: organized help for people who are in need of assistance with basic needs (such as food, housing, safety, or job training) or with medical needs (such as addiction or mental illness)
—usually plural
Most states are struggling with skimpy resources and a system of uncoordinated social services that is totally inadequate to serve a population of individuals whose needs are bottomless. —
Constance Holden
Constance Holden … attacked the idea of social services, claiming that the only entity entitled to provide care is the church, not the government. —Tori Otten
—often used before another noun Tori Otten social service agencies
Until the bridge's closure, the island hosted and supported social service programs including homeless shelters and an addiction recovery campus. —Ellie Wolfe
Ellie Wolfe Examples of social service in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is because the GOP continues to mislead its supporters on issues like tax rates and budget deficits — concerns only brought up in terms of social services and never in terms of, say, the $757 billion spent subsidizing fossil fuels or the $883 billion defense budget.
—Adrianne Fantasia, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
Likely among them: cutting social services to those who don’t speak German or reducing financial aid for refugees.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Government employers, like social service agencies and school districts, are exempt from Missouri’s new minimum wage requirement.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
Turner plays a glamorous jewel thief simultaneously trying to get custody of her daughter back from social services in this British miniseries.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for social service 
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Adrianne Fantasia, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025
Likely among them: cutting social services to those who don’t speak German or reducing financial aid for refugees.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Government employers, like social service agencies and school districts, are exempt from Missouri’s new minimum wage requirement.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
Turner plays a glamorous jewel thief simultaneously trying to get custody of her daughter back from social services in this British miniseries.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for social service
Dictionary Entries Near social service
Cite this Entry
“Social service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20service. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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