on welfare

noun

1. the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization; well-being: to look after a child’s welfare; the physical or moral welfare of society.
2. welfare work.
3. financial or other assistance to an individual or family from a city, state, or national government: Thousands of jobless people in this city would starve if it weren’t for welfare.
4. (initial capital letter) Informal. a governmental agency that provides funds and aid to people in need, especially those unable to work.

Idioms

5. on welfare, receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need.

noun

1. health, happiness, prosperity, and well-being in general
2. 1. financial and other assistance given to people in need
   2. (as modifier)welfare services
3. Also called: welfare work plans or work to better the social or economic conditions of various underprivileged groups
4. the welfare informal, mainly British the public agencies involved with giving such assistance
5. on welfare mainly US and Canadian in receipt of financial aid from a government agency or other source

n.Old English wel faran “condition of being or doing well,” from wel (see well (adv.)) + faran “get along” (see fare (v.)). Cf. Old Norse velferð. Meaning “social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc.” is first attested 1904. Welfare state is recorded from 1941. Government-provided support for those unable to support themselves. In the United States, it is undertaken by various federal, state, and local agencies under the auspices of different programs, the best known of which are Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and food stamps. see on relief.