welfare

welfare — noun

1. Money, food, housing, or other basic support that the government gives to people

1.nounB2
Definition

Money, food, housing, or other basic support that the government gives to people who cannot earn enough to live on.

Example

After losing his factory job, Kabir applied for welfare to support his young children.

collocation: applied for welfare

The government increased welfare spending during the recession to help struggling families.

collocation: welfare spending

Common collocations
  • apply for welfare
  • welfare payments
  • welfare system
  • welfare benefits
  • welfare reform
  • welfare program
  • welfare recipient
Synonyms
  • benefits

    more common in British English; often refers to regular cash payments

  • assistance

    broader term that includes non-monetary help such as food or housing support

  • public aid

    more formal and less common in everyday speech

  • social security

    specifically retirement and disability benefits in some systems; not a perfect synonym

Grammar Patterns

on welfare

welfare + noun

welfare (as subject/object)

Usage Note

Often used before nouns like 'system', 'program', or 'benefits'. In the US, 'welfare' commonly refers to specific assistance programs such as SNAP or TANF; in the UK, it more broadly refers to the state benefits system.

Common Mistakes

He receives a welfare from the government.
He receives welfare from the government.
'welfare' is uncountable and does not take an article.
She is welfare because she lost her job.
She is on welfare because she lost her job.
The preposition 'on' is required for this meaning.
The welfare gives money to poor people.
The welfare system gives money to poor people.' or 'The government gives welfare to poor people.
'Welfare' by itself cannot be an organization or agency.

2. The condition of depending on government payments when you have little or no inc

2.nounB2
Definition

The condition of depending on government payments when you have little or no income and cannot support yourself.

Example

Sumin's family went on welfare after the factory where her parents worked shut down.

phrase: went on welfare

Tuan has been on welfare for six months while he recovers from a back injury.

phrase: been on welfare

Common collocations
  • on welfare
  • off welfare
  • go on welfare
  • live on welfare
  • welfare dependency
  • welfare roll
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

on welfare

be on welfare

go on welfare

live on welfare

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'on welfare'. Commonly follows verbs like 'be' ('be on welfare'), 'go' ('go on welfare'), or 'live' ('live on welfare'). 'Off welfare' describes the state of no longer needing this support.

Common Mistakes

He is welfare.
He is on welfare.
The preposition 'on' is essential.
She went to welfare after her divorce.
She went on welfare after her divorce.
'On welfare' is the correct fixed phrase, not 'to welfare'.

3. The condition of being healthy, happy, and safe — the overall quality of a perso

3.nounB2
Definition

The condition of being healthy, happy, and safe — the overall quality of a person's, animal's, or group's life.

Example

The school pays close attention to the emotional welfare of students who have experienced trauma.

collocation: emotional welfare

Hamza's employer runs programs that support the mental and physical welfare of all workers.

Common collocations
  • welfare of
  • child welfare
  • animal welfare
  • emotional welfare
  • social welfare
  • public welfare
  • welfare of employees
Synonyms
  • well-being

    more common in everyday language; less formal than 'welfare' for this sense

  • health

    narrower, focusing on physical/mental condition rather than overall happiness

  • happiness

    focuses on emotional state, not physical health or safety

  • prosperity

    includes financial success, which 'welfare' (sense 3) does not necessarily imply

Antonyms
  • hardship

    state of suffering or difficulty

  • misery

    state of great unhappiness

Grammar Patterns

welfare of + [noun phrase]

[noun] + welfare

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'of' to specify whose well-being is meant. Frequently appears in compound forms like 'child welfare', 'animal welfare', 'employee welfare', and 'public welfare'. This sense is broader than government aid and focuses on health and happiness rather than money.

Common Mistakes

I am worried about my welfare' (when meaning 'financial situation' in a context that only makes sense as well-being).
In most everyday contexts, use 'well-being' to avoid confusion with government aid: 'I am worried about my well-being.
'Welfare' in this sense sounds formal or official.

welfare — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Welfare' is the most general term for government support given to people in financial need, covering cash, food, housing, and healthcare. 'Benefits' (or 'state benefits') is the preferred term in British English for regular cash payments such as jobseeker's allowance or housing benefit — it sounds more neutral than 'welfare' in UK contexts. 'Assistance' is broader still, encompassing any kind of help (including food stamps and Medicaid in the US) and carries a less politicized tone. 'Public aid' is a formal, official term used primarily in administrative documents. In everyday US conversation, 'I'm on welfare' is common but can carry social stigma; 'I'm receiving assistance' is often perceived as more respectful.

welfare ↗benefitsassistance ↗public aid

Common collocations

Nouns

  • welfare system
  • welfare state
  • welfare program
  • welfare reform
  • welfare spending
  • welfare benefits
  • welfare payments
  • welfare office
  • welfare agency
  • social welfare
  • corporate welfare
  • public welfare

Phrases

  • be on welfare
  • go on welfare
  • live on welfare
  • get off welfare
  • welfare-to-work program

Prepositions

  • on welfare
  • off welfare
  • welfare of

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'welfare' comes from the Middle English phrase 'wel faren', meaning 'to fare well' or 'to get along well'. 'Wel' was the Old English word for 'well', and 'faren' meant 'to travel' or 'to get along'. In its earliest uses (from the 1300s), it described a state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous — the sense we now call well-being. The modern meaning of government-provided financial aid emerged in the early 1900s, especially with the rise of the 'welfare state' in the mid-20th century.