noun / verb
dole
DOHL/dəʊl/
A limited allotment distributed to someone in need.
The small dole barely covers her basic needs each week.
Etymology
Old English dal described sharing or giving out. The noun came to mean an allotted portion, then charitable food or money, and eventually regular government payments to unemployed people.
In context
benefits should be held at a subsistence level as not to encourage people making a life of being on the dole
More examples
- He relies on the dole while looking for work.
- Volunteers dole out food to families at the shelter.
- The charity doled out emergency funds in small amounts.
Forms
dole · doles · doled · doling
Similar words
- handout
- Emphasizes freely given aid, sometimes with a disapproving tone.
- ration
- A fixed allowance, especially of food during shortages.
- allotment
- Any assigned share, not necessarily aid for someone in need.