breadline
Britishnoun
-
a queue of people waiting for free food given out by a government agency or a charity organization
-
impoverished; living at subsistence level
Vocabulary lists containing breadline
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney conceived “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” for the breadline scene in the 1932 revue “Americana,” where it was sung by Rex Weber.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
When the tour’s over, I’m back on the breadline, honey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
Jonathan Bean, from Fuel Poverty Action, said unexpected deductions from people on the breadline risked sending them into "a cash flow crisis".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2023
The rising rates are not just affecting people on the breadline or on social welfare, he added.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
“Well, well!” says I. “So you didn’t hit the breadline, after all!”
From Odd Numbers Being Further Chronicles of Shorty McCabe by Ford, Sewell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
