poor
n. uncountablen. people who have very little money or few possessions. You usually use this word with 'the' to talk about this group of people as a whole.
n. people lacking sufficient money or resources to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society. Always used with the definite article 'the' to function as a collective plural noun.
The government is introducing new programs to help the poor.
The charity provides free medical care and warm meals to the poor in the city center.
Economic policies that focus solely on growth often fail to address the immediate needs of the poor, who remain vulnerable to sudden shifts in the global market.
Inherited from Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) povre, poure, from Latin pauper, from Old Latin pavo-pars (literally “getting little”), from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- (“few, small”). Doublet of pauper. Displaced native arm, wantsome, Middle English unlede (“poor”) (from Old English unlǣde), Middle English unweli, unwely (“poor, unwealthy”) (from Old English un- + weliġ (“well-to-do, prosperous, rich”)).
Always preceded by 'the' and treated as a plural noun; it does not take an 's' at the end.
The poors need more help.The poor need more help.When used as a collective noun for a group of people, 'poor' does not take a plural 's'.
- 01
have a poor time of it
Synonym of have a rough time of it (especially financially)
- 02
house poor
In financial difficulty because of the excessive cost of owning a house, or because the cost of home ownership forms too high a proportion of household income.
- 03
land poor
In a condition of poverty as a result of inability to meet tax payments or other financial requirements for one's land holdings.