Phrase guide

government cheese

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A poor quality processed cheese, similar to regular American cheese, produced and stored in the 1970s and 1980s from excess dairy milk production from dairy subsidies, created by the U.S. government to support the milk industry, and for long term storage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, historical, uncountable

Topics: food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Processed cheese provided to welfare and food stamp recipients in the United States during the 1980s and early 1990s (coming from such stocks).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, historical, uncountable

Topics: food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any inexpensive unexceptional cheese.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, excessive, humorous, uncountable

Examples

  • Eww, no. Don't be putting that government cheese on my sandwich! Give me the havarti!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rat-trap cheese, rat cheese

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Welfare in general.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, broadly, uncountable

Topics: economics, government, politics, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: largesse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: largesse

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.