as in distributing
to give out (something) to appropriate individuals
she doles out office supplies as if she were paying for them out of her own pocket
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Recent Examples of doling out
Before the BusPatrol camera program was suspended last year for doling out questionable violations, the private company running the operation was also mailing out violations with faulty information.
—
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
The city's three public safety agencies are also developing public dashboards which will track a range of data metrics relevant to each department, including staffing levels, how many 911 calls each agency is responding to and how much overtime pay each department is doling out each month.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Both of these make doling out cash riskier.
—Aly J Yale, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Her parents worked in the family’s furniture store, where Weiss’s father, Lou, had a flair for marketing, doling out a line of candies called Weiss Krispie Treats to customers.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Laime had a tendency to get involved with her listeners, trading emails back and forth after doling out advice.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
In a Thursday release, the Commission said it’s never shared its methodology used in doling out about $168 million to about 37,000 grant winners across the state to support students from low-income families.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west, invested $42 million in a start-up called Zhipu AI to bring a new model-training center and research facility to the city.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
The funding comes from a $250 million pot of money the Federal Emergency Management Agency is doling out through a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant program.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 31 Dec. 2025
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
The city's three public safety agencies are also developing public dashboards which will track a range of data metrics relevant to each department, including staffing levels, how many 911 calls each agency is responding to and how much overtime pay each department is doling out each month.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Both of these make doling out cash riskier.
—Aly J Yale, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Her parents worked in the family’s furniture store, where Weiss’s father, Lou, had a flair for marketing, doling out a line of candies called Weiss Krispie Treats to customers.
—Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Laime had a tendency to get involved with her listeners, trading emails back and forth after doling out advice.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
In a Thursday release, the Commission said it’s never shared its methodology used in doling out about $168 million to about 37,000 grant winners across the state to support students from low-income families.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west, invested $42 million in a start-up called Zhipu AI to bring a new model-training center and research facility to the city.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
The funding comes from a $250 million pot of money the Federal Emergency Management Agency is doling out through a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant program.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doling out
Verb
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And Tuesday night — which featured Yancy’s team distributing a printout of questions challenging the mayor’s handling of the budget — shows the rift between the two progressives growing.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
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But by the time cops were distributing her image, her worried parents had realized that the child wandered off and had begun canvassing the neighborhood for her.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The three senators pointed to potential conflicts of interest between TrumpRx and an online dispensing company, BlinkRx.—
Gavin J. Quinton,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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No, paint tubes dispensing with primary colors of blue, red, and yellow, in honor of Italy’s art history.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The work at a syringe exchange center, like the one housed at the Damien Center on Indianapolis' east side, doesn't begin and end with handing out sterile needles.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
13 Feb. 2026
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Sitting in traffic outside the stadium, a group of protesters started handing out hand towels calling for protests in the satdium.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Defenseman Noah Hanifin added another when his shot got through Mads Sogaard and trickled over the goal line a bit later, providing some breathing room that proved necessary.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some even attract animals and rodents by providing them with shelter.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cool the sauce quickly by dividing it into multiple shallow containers, and make sure to refrigerate within two hours of cooking.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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Heating Degree Days are calculated by taking the day's high temperature and adding it to the day's low temperature, then dividing by 2 and subtracting that value from 65.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The legislation would provide greater flexibility for governments in allocating funding under the program, which was created in 1990 as part of a broader shift in housing policy toward greater responsibility for states and cities.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
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Judge Miguel Espinoza both praised and criticized the county’s progress at the hearing, at times applauding the collaboration between stakeholders and at other times questioning whether the Board of Supervisors was allocating enough resources.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doling%20out. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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