poor
see also RICH
- having very little money and a low standard of living: poor; (noun U): poverty
a poor man/family ◎ poorer countries
- very poor: (formal) poverty-stricken
- a person who is poor can be called hard up, badly off, not well off
Many old people are very hard up these days.
- if you have no money at all, you are penniless, (informal) broke
He said he was broke and asked me to lend him a pound.
- if you temporarily do not have as much money as you need, you are short (of money)
I can't help you I'm afraid - I'm a bit short myself at present.
- if you have less money than sb else or less money than before, you are worse off (than ※¦); if you have a bit more money than sb else or than you had before, you are better off (than ※¦)
Paul's got a new job but he seems to be worse off than ever. ◎ She's just had a pay rise, so she ought to be a bit better off now.
- the group of people who have very little money: the poor (with plural verb)
※ different groups in society SOCIETY
※ life without enough money
- suffering caused by being poor: hardship (noun U), (more formal) deprivation (noun U)
- very dirty and unpleasant conditions of living: squalor (noun U); adjective: squalid
While the fortunate few live in luxury, many people live in squalor. ◎ squalid surroundings
- to ask sb for food, money, etc because you are very poor: beg; a person who lives by doing this: beggar
It is sad to see young people begging.
- with no money, no home and no job: down and out; a person who is in this situation: down and out
The centre of the town was full of beggars and down and outs.
- a person who has no home or job and who moves from place to place: tramp (AmE bum)
- to sleep outside without bedding, etc: sleep* rough
- people who have no home are homeless; the group of homeless people: the homeless (with plural verb); the situation of having nowhere to live: homelessness (noun U)
※ places where poor people live
- an area of a city with dirty buildings and where living conditions are very bad: slum, the slums (noun plural), (more formal) deprived area
Many Victorian slums have been cleared from our cities. ◎ He grew up in one of the most deprived areas of the country.
- a small town or part of a town where poor people live in bad conditions in badly built huts, etc: shanty town
※ help for poor people
- government help given to very poor people: benefit (noun U), welfare (noun U)
- food, money, clothes, etc given to people who need it badly: charity (noun U)
I may be poor but I refuse to live on charity.
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