› (US Welfare) GOVERNMENT, FINANCE a system of payments by the government to people who are ill, poor, or have no job: I didn't want to be on social security. Unless you are claiming social security or are a pensioner, you have to pay for each visit to the doctor in Ireland. She might be entitled to a social security benefit called disability living allowance. a social security system
› (also Social Security) (abbreviation SS) US GOVERNMENT, FINANCE, TAX a tax system in the US in which the government collects money from workers and companies so that it can make payments to people who are unemployed, ill, or too old to work: pay social security contributions Will my military pension count against the $11,500 I can earn before losing social security benefits? Besides paperwork, another burden on the employer is the social security system. → Compare national insurance
