dole out

verb

doled out; doling out; doles out

transitive verb

1
: to give or deliver in small portions
2
Choose the Right Synonym for dole out

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group.

distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.

distributed food to the needy

dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.

dispensed wisdom to the students

divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.

three charitable groups divided the proceeds

deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.

deal out equipment and supplies

dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.

doled out what little food there was

Examples of dole out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On Valentine’s Day, the carrier doled out $1.4 billion to its workers, a bonus check that worked out to 10.4% of their annual salary. Chris Morris, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024 Quaid also spent a chunk of time doling out thanks, notably to the theater owners in the audience, as CinemaCon represents the annual gathering of members of the National Association of Theater Owners. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024 To catch up, officials doled out whopping interest rate hikes to get borrowing costs high enough to slow the economy. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024 The news comes just a day after Google and Intel also revealed new chips, and as the chip monarch of them all — Nvidia — doles out stock grants to employees. Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024 Fort Worth Housing Solutions, the city’s public housing authority, doles out federal vouchers to support aspiring low-income homebuyers. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024 The tendrils, indeed, extend into a nation grappling with how police use force, especially against people of color and notably after the 2020 murder of Black father George Floyd by a White Minneapolis officer whose federal sentence was shorter than a few doled out this week in Jackson. Emma Tucker, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 Of all the golden nuggets of advice doled out, one in particular rang true. Freya Drohan, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2024 The asking price is an impressive $20 million—or around $12 million more than the 11-time champ doled out for the beachfront digs seven years ago, back in spring 2017. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dole out.' 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

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dole out was in 1749

Dictionary Entries Near dole out

Cite this Entry

“Dole out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dole%20out. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

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