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Definition of poor
1a : lacking material possessionsb : of, relating to, or characterized by poverty
2a : less than adequate : meagerb : small in worth
3 : exciting pity you poor thing
4a : inferior in quality or valueb : humble, unpretentiousc : mean, petty
6 : barren, unproductive —used of land
7 : indifferent, unfavorable
8 : lacking a normal or adequate supply of something specified —often used in combination oil-poor countries
poorness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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 of poor from the Web
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Most of the latter come from poor neighbourhoods, like the Old City, where IS found many recruits.
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The video is on YouTube, where the video quality is pretty poor — which is no surprise, since Oates unearthed the tape only a few years ago.
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Shavelson also recommends that those who are diabetic or have poor circulation should see a doctor before using.
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Crocco and Gee, in their own ways, are experiencing the confluence of medical progress, a health crisis that weighs heavily on the poor and the realities of the safety net.
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One failed and the other was cancelled due to poor safety preparations.
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With their digital reconstruction of SK2, researchers have created a vivid portrait of a common poor man, who might have otherwise faded into obscurity.
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The poor math skills that seemed at first like an arbitrary character trait were more likely invented to enable that very joke.
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Poor beef-to-bread ratio and an orange sheen to the gravy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poor'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
POOR Defined for English Language Learners
poor
playDefinition of poor for English Language Learners
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: having little money or few possessions : not having enough money for the basic things that people need to live properly
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: having a very small amount of something
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: not good in quality or condition
POOR Defined for Kids
poor
playDefinition of poor for Students
poorer
;poorest
1 : having little money or few possessions
2 : less than enough a poor crop
3 : worthy of pity The poor dog was lost.
4 : low in quality or condition poor health a poor effort
poorly
adverbLearn More about poor
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for poor Spanish Central: Translation of poor Nglish: Translation of poor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of poor for Arabic speakers
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