social security

noun

1
: the principle or practice or a program of public provision (as through social insurance or assistance) for the economic security and social welfare of the individual and his or her family
especially, Social Security : a U.S. government program established in 1935 to include old-age and survivors insurance, contributions to state unemployment insurance, and old-age assistance
2
: money paid out through a social security program
began collecting social security

Examples of social security in a Sentence

She is living on social security. He began collecting Social Security checks.
Recent Examples on the Web On billboards and banners around rural Jalisco, berry companies offer potential hires savings plans, social security, signing bonuses and a new incentive: temporary visas to work at partner firms in the United States during their harvest seasons, at much higher salaries. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Boomers and Gen Xers already report difficulty in outliving their savings, and young adults are navigating the same uphill climb but without the safety of a pension or guarantee of social security still being around. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Those numbers were multiplied by 25 or 30 years, excluding social security rates. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 To get students with missing social security data approved, the Education Department asked applicants like Andrea to submit by email photographs of a driver’s license, identity card or other documents that would verify their identity. Zach Montague, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 While honoring the obligation to pay social security and medicare, refuse to fund the federal government until the executive branch faithfully executes the federal government’s constitutional duty to secure Texas’ borders from invasion and violence or enable Texas to do it for itself. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024 This is partly the result of using an obsolete inflation metric to calculate the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for social security beneficiaries. George Calhoun, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Her legislative priorities include protecting California’s coast, strengthening social security, ensuring reproductive freedom and providing tax relief to working families. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024 Understanding changing family structures is an urgent matter in many countries that lack effective social security or other institutional support systems, says Sha Jiang, a demographer at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study. Alice Sun, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'social security.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of social security was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near social security

Cite this Entry

“Social security.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20security. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

social security

noun
1
: the idea or system by which the public provides for the security of individuals and their families
2
capitalized both Ss : a U.S. government program established in 1935 to include old-age and survivors insurance, contributions to state unemployment insurance, and old-age assistance

Legal Definition

social security

noun
1
: the principle or practice or a program of public provision (as through social insurance or assistance) for the economic security and social welfare of the individual and his or her family
especially, often capitalized both Ss : a U.S. government program established in 1935 to include old-age and survivors insurance, contributions to state unemployment insurance, and old-age assistance
2
: money paid out through a social security program
collects social security
see also Social Security Act, Social Security Administration

More from Merriam-Webster on social security

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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