on welfare

on wel·fare

O o

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn wel-fair]
- /ɒn, ɔn ˈwɛlˌfɛər/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn wel-fair]
- /ɒn, ɔn ˈwɛlˌfɛər/

Definitions of on welfare words

noun on welfare the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization; well-being: to look after a child's welfare; the physical or moral welfare of society. 1
noun on welfare welfare work. 1
noun on welfare financial or other assistance to an individual or family from a city, state, or national government: Thousands of jobless people in this city would starve if it weren't for welfare. 1
noun on welfare (initial capital letter) Informal. a governmental agency that provides funds and aid to people in need, especially those unable to work. 1
idioms on welfare on welfare, receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need. 1
adjective on welfare claiming government benefits 1

See all 9 definitions of on welfare

Information block about the term

Origin of on welfare

First appearance:

before 1275

One of the 13% oldest English words

1275-1325; Middle English, from phrase wel fare. See well1, fare

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On welfare

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of On welfare

on welfare popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

on welfare usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for on welfare

adjective on welfare

jobless — without a job.

Just one Synonym for on welfare