poor

adjective \ ˈpu̇r , ˈpȯr \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

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

b : humble, unpretentious

c : mean, petty

5 : lean, emaciated

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

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poorish

play \ˈpu̇r-ish, ˈpȯr-\ adjective

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poorness

noun

See poor defined for English-language learners

See poor defined for kids

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

The following year, a Republican president gave serious consideration to establishing an unconditional, basic income for all poor families in the United States — one equal to roughly $10,000 in today’s money.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "50 Years After His Assassination, We Are No Closer to Realizing MLK’s Most Radical Dream," 4 Apr. 2018
Connecticut's poorest families struggle each and every year to heat their homes in this a state with one of the highest utility rates in the country.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The South Windsor Edition," 3 Apr. 2018
Unrest spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working-class Iranians voiced anger at corruption, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

— lindsay ellis, Houston Chronicle, "Out-of-state students have swarmed state flagships, but UT-Austin still has a high share of Texans," 2 Apr. 2018
Here, where the gulf between rich and poor is one of the largest in the country, the Doug Coombs Foundation hopes to close that gap in ways more far-reaching than just the ski hill.

— jake bullinger, Outside Online, "When Skiing Collides with Immigration Politics," 2 Apr. 2018
Cell phone service was poor and texts and calls weren't possible.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Recruiting Romeo Langford: Inside decisions regarding Kentucky basketball, UNC and others," 2 Apr. 2018
In many poorer and rural school districts across Washington, projections for the new law on school spending show cuts in property taxes in future years, while taxes remain higher in richer areas like Seattle, Bellevue and Mercer Island.

— jessica lee, The Seattle Times, "‘Enough is enough’: Some local homeowners say this year’s property-tax increase will force them to move," 1 Apr. 2018
Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer?

— jen kirby, Vox, "Trump thinks Amazon’s destroying the post office. Here’s what’s really happening.," 30 Mar. 2018
Corruption in the system also means that sentences can be reduced or charges dropped for cash – a solution usually out of the reach of poor families like those in the waiting room of this call center.

— scott peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "The ICRC's precious gift to Afghan families: contact with jailed loved-ones," 29 Mar. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of poor

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

poor Synonyms

Phrases

below par (or under);

POOR Defined for English Language Learners

poor

adjective

: having little money or few possessions : not having enough money for the basic things that people need to live properly
: having a very small amount of something
: not good in quality or condition