n. Idiom: 1. Health, happiness, and good fortune; well-being: workers concerned with the welfare of their families. 2. a. Financial or other aid provided, especially by the government, to people in need. b. See welfare work. c. See corporate welfare. on welfare Receiving regular assistance from the government or private agencies because of need. [Middle English, from wel faren, to fare well, from Old English wel faran : wel, well; see WELL2 + faran, to get along; see FARE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.















