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
Both chambers of Congress were preoccupied with Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a multitrillion-dollar cut to taxes and social services.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2025
The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources.
—Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
Federal authorities have opened a wide-ranging investigation into how tens of millions of dollars are being distributed among and and spent by an array of non profit social service organizations operating in Hartford.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 31 July 2025
Corporal was familiar with the state's social service programs.
—Jess Mador, NPR, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for social service
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E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2025
The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources.
—Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
Federal authorities have opened a wide-ranging investigation into how tens of millions of dollars are being distributed among and and spent by an array of non profit social service organizations operating in Hartford.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 31 July 2025
Corporal was familiar with the state's social service programs.
—Jess Mador, NPR, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for social service
Cite this Entry
“Social service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20service. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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