Idiom idiom
dole out
Meaning
To distribute in apportioned amounts.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The teacher will dole out the papers now.”
“The charity workers dole out hot meals to people in the park every Sunday morning.”
“The manager began to dole out the remaining bonuses to the staff, carefully ensuring that each employee received an amount proportional to their recent contributions.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026