the poverty line
noun
: the level of income that makes it possible for a person to pay for basic food, clothing, and shelter
families living below/at the poverty line
Examples of the poverty line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are more than 11 million single mothers in this country and 38% of them live below the poverty line.
—
Mary McNamara, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
Zimmerman said about 80% of the district’s families live below the poverty line.
—Jason Gonzales, The Denver Post, 6 May 2024
According to data from the Dominican Center, in 2020, over half of Amani residents lived below the poverty line.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
In a small town where many of the residents lived below the poverty line, a number of homes were uninsured and so may never be replaced.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 1 May 2024
Those identities often overlap: more than one in four Native Americans live below the poverty line, and the unemployment rate on some reservations is higher than fifty per cent.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Almost 30% of residents lived below the poverty line in 1980, according to city documents.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Around 90% of patients fall below the poverty line, according to an email from the organization.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Apr. 2024
Almost half of Myanmar’s population of 54 million is below the poverty line, with 49.7% of people living on less than 76 US cents a day — a figure that has doubled since 2017, researchers with the UN Development Program (UNDP) found.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Mary McNamara, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
Zimmerman said about 80% of the district’s families live below the poverty line.
—Jason Gonzales, The Denver Post, 6 May 2024
According to data from the Dominican Center, in 2020, over half of Amani residents lived below the poverty line.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024
In a small town where many of the residents lived below the poverty line, a number of homes were uninsured and so may never be replaced.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 1 May 2024
Those identities often overlap: more than one in four Native Americans live below the poverty line, and the unemployment rate on some reservations is higher than fifty per cent.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
Almost 30% of residents lived below the poverty line in 1980, according to city documents.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Around 90% of patients fall below the poverty line, according to an email from the organization.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Apr. 2024
Almost half of Myanmar’s population of 54 million is below the poverty line, with 49.7% of people living on less than 76 US cents a day — a figure that has doubled since 2017, researchers with the UN Development Program (UNDP) found.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the poverty line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the poverty line
Cite this Entry
“The poverty line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20poverty%20line. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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