DOLED OUT Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

doled out

verb

past tense of dole out

as in distributed

to give out (something) to appropriate individuals she doles out office supplies as if she were paying for them out of her own pocket

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of doled out When asked about the punishment doled out for fumbling the football, which is the ultimate cardinal sin of the sport, De’Von Achane seemingly thought creating one was a good idea, and pledged to get back to the media with an idea. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 The game’s template solidified over the course of four Game Changer installments, doled out once per season until Make Some Noise became a stand-alone show in 2022. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 July 2026 The proposal asks for the money to be doled out over a five-year period, which includes $250 million payments in 2029 and 2030 and smaller increments in the other three years. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026 In dozens of declarations collected as part of the court record, detainees recounted broccoli full of worms, diapers doled out one at a time, and staff tearing up children’s drawings. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 Before that, the Academy doled out an Honorary Oscar when the impact and excellence of a foreign film became too conspicuous to ignore, as with Italy’s The Bicycle Thief in 1949 or Japan’s Rashomon in 1952. — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2026 Budweiser and Michelob Ultra maker AB InBev, the World’s Cup’s official beer sponsor, doled out marketing support to bars and hosted 200,000 watch parties in 40 countries. — Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 17 July 2026 An analysis of a torrent of public comments submitted on a White House proposal to change the way federal contracts and grants are doled out shows a widespread rebuke of the potential change by scientists and others. — Anil Oza, STAT, 15 July 2026 Like any good Sheridan show, gratuitous violence and clichéd wisdom are doled out with abandon, the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine—in this case ranching gone awry—go down. — Alex Jhamb Burns, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for doled out

Verb

The Panthers distributed 47,736 tickets, and the stadium looked about 60% full.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
Workers will dispute which tasks should be automated and how resulting gains should be distributed.

— Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of distributed

Verb

Addicts could bring their heroin and cocaine to a 13-seat center where staff dispensed needles, swabs, and sterile water to cook the drugs and offered advice on vein maintenance.

— Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Instead of seeing him as a future Hall of Famer who should be a franchise pillar, the Royals dispensed him to Houston in 2004 in a three-way trade that brought them back catcher John Buck, third baseman Mark Teahen and pitcher Mike Wood.

— Vahe Gregorian July 29, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026

Definition of dispensed

Verb

The Chiefs opened their free agency by handing Reid a reason to run the ball more and provided him an avenue toward running it more effectively.

— Sam McDowell July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
On a warm summer evening with the sun setting behind the lawn, the amphitheater provided a fitting backdrop for Mellencamp’s heartland rock.

— Jamie Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026

Definition of provided

Verb

Then it was brought down again to £10m because of unspecified fines that had apparently already been handed out.

— Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Small Businesses Should Think Long-Term The health of an entrepreneurial ecosystem should not be measured by how many grants are handed out or how many pitch competitions are hosted each year.

— AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of handed out

Verb

Via a points system, entrants will not only compete for prize money in individual races but also vie for a $5 million prize pool divided up based on the series’ final standings.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch ahead of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of divided

Verb

The nearly $170 billion allocated to public schools across America was never intended to last forever.

— Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
The state’s Project Homekey has allocated nearly a billion dollars toward supportive housing, creating 2,749 affordable homes for folks with behavioral health challenges at risk of homelessness — issues often tied up in a ball with addiction.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of allocated

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dole

doled out

doleful

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“Doled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doled%20out. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of doled out

verb

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