noun [ U ]
1.
( BrE ) (also wel·fare NAmE , BrE ) money that the government pays regularly to people who are poor, unemployed, sick, etc. :
to live on social security
social security payments
2.
Social Security (in the US) a system in which people pay money regularly to the government when they are working and receive payments from the government when they are unable to work, especially when they are sick or too old to work
—compare National Insurance
For more information see the Cultural Guide