poverty line

noun

: a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor according to governmental standards

called also poverty level

Examples of poverty line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a result, households over 400% of the federal poverty line — roughly $63,000 for an individual and $129,000 for a family of four — lost all access to ACA subsidies, which help reduce monthly insurance premiums. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Iranian households, once increasingly affluent, are now at risk of falling below the state’s poverty line. — Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

In Allegheny County, 43% of food-insecure children were likely ineligible for SNAP and similar benefits in 2025 because their household incomes exceeded 185% of the federal poverty line – US$61,050 for a family of four in 2026. — Amelia B. Finaret, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

As many as 32-40 million Iranians out of a population of 92 million live below the absolute poverty line and Iran has one of the highest food inflation rates in the world. — Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for poverty line

• aconitine
• anopheline
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• bromocriptine
• chlorhexidine
• clomipramine
• creatinine
• desipramine
• guanethidine
• heterodyne
• imipramine
• meperidine