dole
dole — noun
1. a regular payment from the government that people receive when they have no job
a regular payment from the government that people receive when they have no job and are looking for work
After the factory closed, Ziad went on the dole while looking for a new job.
collocation: go on the dole
The government raised the dole by two hundred dollars a month last year.
Many young graduates were forced to live on the dole when the job market collapsed.
Talia signed on for the dole the day after she lost her retail job.
Rohan found that the dole barely covered his rent, let alone food and bills.
- unemployment benefit
more formal and neutral; used internationally in official contexts
- welfare
broader term covering various government assistance; more common in American English
- jobseeker's allowance
official UK government term that replaced 'unemployment benefit' in the 1990s
文法句型
the dole
on the dole
claim the dole
用法筆記
Almost always preceded by the definite article ('the dole'). This term is common in British, Australian, and New Zealand English; American English prefers 'unemployment benefits' or 'unemployment insurance.'
常見錯誤
2. a small amount of food, money, or other useful items given to people who are ver
a small amount of food, money, or other useful items given to people who are very poor, usually on a regular basis as an act of charity
The church handed out a weekly dole of bread and milk to families in need.
pattern: a weekly dole of + noun
After the earthquake, the relief group distributed a daily dole of rice and clean water.
Yan helped organise a dole of warm coats and blankets for homeless shelters before winter.
The old fisherman survived on a small dole of vegetables from the community garden.
文法句型
a dole of [item]
用法筆記
This sense is somewhat old-fashioned in modern English. It typically appears with 'of' to specify the items being given (e.g., 'a dole of rice'). The phrase 'on the dole' belongs to sense 1 (unemployment payment), not this sense.
常見錯誤
dole — verb
1. to give out small amounts of something such as food, money, or supplies to a gro
to give out small amounts of something such as food, money, or supplies to a group of people, especially those who are poor or in need
Every morning, the monastery doles out rice porridge to anyone who arrives hungry.
phrasal verb: dole out + noun
The rescue team doled out clean water and protein bars to the stranded hikers.
Manuela carefully doled out small portions of stew to each child in the shelter.
Local farmers doled out fresh vegetables to families whose crops the storm destroyed.
The government doled out emergency cash payments to every household affected by the flood.
- hand out
more informal; implies a direct, personal act of giving
- distribute
more neutral and formal; works for any quantity or context
- dispense
more formal; suggests careful measurement or official distribution
- allocate
focuses on assigning portions rather than the physical act of giving
文法句型
dole out + noun + to + recipient
用法筆記
Almost always used with the particle 'out' as a phrasal verb ('dole out'). The simple form 'dole' without 'out' is rare in modern English except in literary or biblical contexts. The object can be placed before or after 'out' (e.g., 'dole out food' or 'dole food out').