Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

government cheese

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.53 in modern English

Syllables
gov-ern-men-t cheese
IPA
27
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

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

American usage; Uncountable

noun

Any inexpensive unexceptional cheese.

American usage; Humorous; Uncountable

noun

Welfare in general.

American usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Usage

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

What does government cheese mean?
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.

How to pronounce government cheese

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “government cheese”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “government cheese”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “government cheese” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.