/ dəʊl; NAmE doʊl/ noun , verb
■ noun
[ sing. ] (usually the dole ) ( BrE , informal ) money paid by the state to unemployed people :
He's been on the dole (= without a job) for a year.
The government is changing the rules for claiming dole.
lengthening dole queues
We could all be in the dole queue on Monday (= have lost our jobs) .
■ verb
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PHRASAL VERBS
- dole sth out (to sb)
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English dāl division, portion, or share , of Germanic origin; related to deal . The sense distribution of charitable gifts dates from Middle English ; the sense unemployment benefit dates from the early 20th cent.