social insurance

noun

: protection of the individual against economic hazards (such as unemployment, old age, or disability) in which the government participates or enforces the participation of employers and affected individuals

Examples of social insurance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Social Security is better characterized as a social insurance program that not only provides retirement income but also life and disability insurance. Doug Criscitello, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 For example, data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that Americans aged 75 and older are especially reliant on Social Security or other forms of social insurance, receiving about 60 percent of their income from government benefits on average. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 In the long run, new social insurance programs such as wage insurance, paid leave, and business-interruption insurance should be paid for without increasing the national debt above and beyond its current trajectory. Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 30 Nov. 2020 Previously, non-resident families had to pay taxes or social insurance for at least six months before being allowed to buy a second home. Jason Ma, Fortune Asia, 30 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for social insurance

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of social insurance was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Social insurance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20insurance. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

social insurance

noun
: insurance of the individual against certain hazards (as unemployment, old age, and disability) that is undertaken, facilitated, or enforced by government

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