the destitute
noun
: people who are extremely poor : needy people
The charity provides food and clothing for the destitute.
Examples of the destitute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Francis was a champion for the poor, the destitute, and for immigrants, those who leave their home countries in search of a better or safer life elsewhere.
—
George Petras, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
The Korean dark comedy about greed and class discrimination in a symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan grossed $53 million domestic ($260 million worldwide).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
Its mission is to help the poor, the imprisoned, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, and victims of disaster locally, nationally, and internationally.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
This process blesses the host’s entire extended family, as only the destitute beggar who is without family has the power to protect them from separation or spiritual misfortune.
—Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024
This was a man who had lengthy experience in surviving far from luxuriant conditions, firstly from his time living with the destitute of Paris and London as part of his first successful non-fiction volume and secondly as a fighter for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2024
The Roman Catholic nun, who dedicated her life to caring for the destitute in India, officially became Saint Teresa of Calcutta nearly 20 years after her death on Sept. 5, 1997.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024
The earmark of a great nation is how its people treat the destitute or the underprivileged who began life in figurative chains.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2024
In the 1990s, tennis-world stars such as Billie Jean King and journalist Bud Collins raised money for the destitute Gibson, but there wasn’t much oversight.
—Patrick Sauer, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023
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George Petras, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
The Korean dark comedy about greed and class discrimination in a symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan grossed $53 million domestic ($260 million worldwide).
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025
Its mission is to help the poor, the imprisoned, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, and victims of disaster locally, nationally, and internationally.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
This process blesses the host’s entire extended family, as only the destitute beggar who is without family has the power to protect them from separation or spiritual misfortune.
—Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024
This was a man who had lengthy experience in surviving far from luxuriant conditions, firstly from his time living with the destitute of Paris and London as part of his first successful non-fiction volume and secondly as a fighter for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2024
The Roman Catholic nun, who dedicated her life to caring for the destitute in India, officially became Saint Teresa of Calcutta nearly 20 years after her death on Sept. 5, 1997.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024
The earmark of a great nation is how its people treat the destitute or the underprivileged who began life in figurative chains.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2024
In the 1990s, tennis-world stars such as Billie Jean King and journalist Bud Collins raised money for the destitute Gibson, but there wasn’t much oversight.
—Patrick Sauer, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The destitute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20destitute. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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