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
Several social services assistants at the Veterans Crisis Line told the Washington Examiner they were contacted by supervisors, alerting them that their terminations had been overturned.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Feb. 2025
At the time, Lander and many other progressives were calling for decreasing NYPD spending in favor of reallocating more resources for social services — policy platforms that came out of protest movements that erupted in response to the shocking police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025
The agency was created not long after Congress amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to create the National Institute of Aging and authorized grants for social services to help older adults.
—Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Legislation forcing such families onto the street is problematic, but the law could distinguish such cases and allow a period for social services to assist such families in vacating.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for social service
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Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Feb. 2025
At the time, Lander and many other progressives were calling for decreasing NYPD spending in favor of reallocating more resources for social services — policy platforms that came out of protest movements that erupted in response to the shocking police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025
The agency was created not long after Congress amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to create the National Institute of Aging and authorized grants for social services to help older adults.
—Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Legislation forcing such families onto the street is problematic, but the law could distinguish such cases and allow a period for social services to assist such families in vacating.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 2025.
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