dole

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

OXFORD DICTIONARY

dole, n. & v.
--n.
1 (usu. prec. by the) Brit. colloq. benefit claimable by the unemployed from the State.
2 a charitable distribution. b a charitable (esp. sparing, niggardly) gift of food, clothes, or money.
3 archaic one's lot or destiny.
--v.tr. (usu. foll. by out) deal out sparingly.

Idiom

dole-bludger Austral. sl. one who allegedly prefers the dole to work. on the dole Brit. colloq. receiving State benefit for the unemployed.

dole, n. poet. grief, woe; lamentation.

Etymology

ME f. OF do(e)l etc. f. pop.L dolus f. L dolere grieve

THESAURUS

dole

accord, ace, adjunct, administer, administration, adversity, affliction, afford, aid, alimony, allocate, allocation, allot, allotment, allow, allowance, alms, alms fee, anguish, annuity, apportion, apportionment, assistance, atom, award, benefit, bestow, bestow on, big end, bigger half, bit, bite, bounty, budget, care, charity, chunk, collection, commission, communicate, compensation, component, confer, contingent, contretemps, contribution, cross section, cut, dab, deal, deal out, depletion allowance, destiny, detachment, detail, disbursal, disburse, disbursement, dish out, dispensation, dispense, disperse, dispersion, disposal, dispose, disposition, distribute, distribution, dividend, division, dole out, doling, doling out, donate, donation, donative, dot, dram, dribble, driblet, dwarf, end, equal share, extend, farthing, fate, fellowship, financial assistance, fleck, flyspeck, fork out, fraction, fragment, gift, gift with, give, give freely, give out, giving out, gobbet, grain, grant, grant-in-aid, granule, gratuity, grief, groat, guaranteed annual income, hair, half, half rations, halver, hand out, hand-out, handful, handout, heap, heartache, heartbreak, help, help to, helping, impart, installment, interest, iota, issuance, issue, item, jot, largesse, lavish, let have, little, little bit, lot, measure, measure out, meed, mere subsistence, mess, mete, mete out, minim, minimum, minutiae, mischance, mishap, mite, modicum, moiety, molecule, mote, nutshell, offer, offering, offertory, old-age insurance, ounce, parcel, parcel out, part, particle, particular, pass around, passing around, pay out, paying out, pebble, pecuniary aid, pension, percentage, piece, pinch, pittance, point, portion, portion out, pour, present, price support, proffer, proportion, public assistance, public welfare, quadrant, quantum, quarter, quota, rain, rake-off, random sample, ration, regret, relief, remainder, render, retirement benefits, rue, sample, sampling, scholarship, scrimption, scruple, section, sector, segment, serve, share, share out, shell out, short allowance, short commons, shower, slice, slip, small share, smidgen, smitch, snow, speck, spoon out, spoonful, spot, stake, starvation wages, stipend, stock, subdivision, subgroup, subscription, subsidization, subsidy, subspecies, subvention, support, tax benefit, tender, thimbleful, tiny bit, tithe, tittle, tragedy, trifling amount, trivia, votive offering, vouchsafe, welfare, welfare aid, welfare payments, whit, woe, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

dole

Insufficiency

N insufficiency, inadequacy, inadequateness, incompetence, deficiency, imperfection, shortcoming, paucity, stint, scantiness, none to spare, bare subsistence, scarcity, dearth, want, need, lack, poverty, exigency, inanition, starvation, famine, drought, dole, mite, pittance, short allowance, short commons, half rations, banyan day, emptiness, poorness, depletion, vacancy, flaccidity, ebb tide, low water, a beggarly account of empty boxes, indigence, insolvency, drain of resources, impoverish, stint, put on short allowance, do insufficiently, scotch the snake, Adj, insufficient, inadequate, too little, not enough, unequal to, incompetent, weighed in the balance and found wanting, perfunctory, deficient, wanting imperfect, ill-furnished, ill-provided, ill- stored, ill-off, slack, at a low ebb, empty, vacant, bare, short of, out of, destitute of, devoid of, bereft of, denuded of, dry, drained, unprovided, unsupplied, unfurnished, unreplenished, unfed, unstored, untreasured, empty-handed, meager, poor, thin, scrimp, sparing, spare, stinted, starved, starving, halfstarved, famine-stricken, famished, jejune, scant, scarce, not to be had, not to be had for love or money, not to be had at any price, scurvy, stingy, at the end of one's tether, without resources, in want, in debt, insufficiently, in default of, for want of, failing, semper avarus eget.

Giving

N giving, bestowal, bestowment, donation, presentation, presentment, accordance, concession, delivery, consignment, dispensation, communication, endowment, investment, investiture, award, almsgiving, charity, liberality, generosity, gift, donation, present, cadeau, fairing, free gift, boon, favor, benefaction, grant, offering, oblation, sacrifice, immolation, lagniappe, pilon, grace, act of grace, bonus, allowance, contribution, subscription, subsidy, tribute, subvention, bequest, legacy, devise, will, dotation, dot, appanage, voluntary settlement, voluntary conveyance, amortization, alms, largess, bounty, dole, sportule, donative, help, oblation, offertory, honorarium, gratuity, Peter pence, sportula, Christmas box, Easter offering, vail, douceur, drink money, pourboire, trinkgeld, bakshish, fee, consideration, bribe, bait, ground bait, peace offering, handsel, boodle, graft, grease, blat, giver, grantor, donor, feoffer, settlor, giving, given, allowed, allowable, concessional, communicable, charitable, eleemosynary, sportulary, tributary, gratis, donative, auctor pretiosa facit, ex dono, res est ingeniosa dare.

Apportionment

N apportionment, allotment, consignment, assignment, appointment, appropriation, dispensation, distribution, division, deal, repartition, partition, administration, dividend, portion, contingent, share, allotment, fair share, allocation, lot, measure, dose, dole, meed, pittance, quantum, ration, ratio, proportion, quota, modicum, mess, allowance, suerte, apportioning, respective, respectively, each to each.

Pain

N mental suffering, pain, dolor, suffering, sufferance, ache, smart, passion, displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet, malaise, inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit, taking, discontent, dejection, weariness, anhedonia, annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation, plague, bore, bother, botheration, stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre, mauvais quart d'heur, care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark, dole, fret, burden, load, concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache, carking cares, heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart, heavy affliction, gnawing grief, unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation, despair, extremity, prostration, depth of misery, nightmare, ephialtes, incubus, pang, anguish, agony, torture, torment, purgatory, hell upon earth, iron age, reign of terror, slough of despond, peck of troubles, ills that flesh is heir to, miseries of human life, unkindest cut of all, sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb, in pain, in a state of pain, full of pain, suffering, pained, afflicted, worried, displeased, aching, griped, sore, on the rack, in limbo, between hawk and buzzard, uncomfortable, uneasy, ill at ease, in a taking, in a way, disturbed, discontented, out of humor, weary, heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used, unfortunate, to be pitied, doomed, devoted, accursed, undone, lost, stranded, fey, unhappy, infelicitous, poor, wretched, miserable, woe-begone, cheerless, careworn, concerned, sorry, sorrowing, sorrowful, cut up, chagrined, horrified, horror-stricken, in grief, plunged in grief, a prey to grief, in tears, steeped to the lips in misery, heart-stricken, heart-broken, heart-scalded, broken-hearted, in despair, the iron entered into our soul, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, one's heart bleeding, down, thou climbing sorrow, mirth cannot move a soul in agony, nessun maggior dolere che ricordarsi del tempo fel, sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier th, the Niobe of Nations.