# corporate welfare bum

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/corporate-welfare-bum
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A business corporation or business executive receiving significant financial assistance from government sources.

## Examples

- The politician called the failing company a corporate welfare bum.
- He thinks every billionaire who takes a government grant is a corporate welfare bum.
- That shipping company acts like a corporate welfare bum by avoiding all its taxes.
- Critics argue that the airline is a corporate welfare bum because it relies on government subsidies to survive.
- Local activists protested the new factory, claiming the wealthy owners are just corporate welfare bums looking for free land and tax exemptions.
- Small business owners often feel frustrated when a corporate welfare bum receives millions in aid while they struggle to pay their monthly rent.
- During the public debate, the professor explained how a corporate welfare bum can stay profitable only by using money taken from regular taxpayers.
- The editorial condemned the massive tax breaks for the bank, labeling the institution a corporate welfare bum that exploits public funds for private gain.

## Origin

Coined in 1972 by Canadian labor leader and politician David Lewis (1909-1981). The term postdates welfare bum: it represents a blend of corporate welfare + welfare bum.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.