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.
But, unfortunately, people are living on the breadline and it is very difficult if you have three children and you are on a minimal income.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
When the tour’s over, I’m back on the breadline, honey.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024
The true number of people on the breadline may be much higher.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2023
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
“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.
