1
a
: lacking material possessions
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by poverty
2
a
: less than adequate : meager
b
: small in worth
3
: exciting pity
you poor thing
4
a
: inferior in quality or value
c
: mean, petty
5
6
: barren, unproductive
used of land
7
8
: lacking a normal or adequate supply of something specified
often used in combination
oil-poor countries
poorish
ˈpu̇r-ish How to pronounce poor (audio)
ˈpȯr-
adjective
poorness noun

Examples of poor in a Sentence

We were too poor to buy new clothes. The organization helps poor families. She has a poor vocabulary. It was a poor attempt at a joke. He is in poor condition. She couldn't read the sign because her vision was too poor.
Recent Examples on the Web For instance, in our survey, the percentage of Americans who are hopeful for the future of the country drops from 62% among those who say their mental health is good to 32% among those who say their mental health is poor. Clay Routledge, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Today about 10 men/women have the total wealth equivalent of the world’s poorest 3.8 billion people. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 In the past South African films often tried to emulate Hollywood and always ended up looking like its poor cousins. Thinus Ferreira, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Gone are the days of wearing uncomfortable airline headphones with poor audio quality because this device simply plugs into the headphone jack of your seat-back screen, connecting to your wireless headphones for a superior listening experience. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2024 The county's poor and home to tribal governments that have historically missed out. USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 Recent examples of men who continued to tread water despite poor financial performance include Peloton’s founder and former CEO John Foley and, for similar reasons, Adam Neumann, the infamous founder of WeWork. Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2024 Sabotaging tactics of the ego include boredom, burnout, lack of engagement, poor communication, micromanagement and fire drills. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Freeways and areas with poor drainage could also become inundated with water. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English poure, from Anglo-French povre, pore, from Latin pauper; akin to Latin paucus little and to Latin parere to give birth to, produce — more at few, pare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of poor was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near poor

Cite this Entry

“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poor. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

poor

1 of 2 adjective
ˈpu̇(ə)r,
ˈpō(ə)r
1
: lacking riches or possessions
2
: less than enough
a poor crop
3
: not good in quality or character of work
4
: lacking fertility
poor land
5
: not satisfactory
the patient had a poor day
6
: lacking in signs of wealth or good taste
poor furnishings
7
: worthy of pity or sympathy
the poor kitten hurt its paw
poorly adverb
poorness noun

poor

2 of 2 noun plural
: poor people
charity for the poor

More from Merriam-Webster on poor

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