Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for bread line. Search instead for breath glide.

bread line

American  
[bred-lahyn] / ˈbrɛdˌlaɪn /
Or breadline

noun

  1. a group of needy persons waiting in line for free food to be distributed by a government agency or charitable organization.


Etymology

Origin of bread line

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

See Examples For:

My pal Tan Vinh tells me the bread line at Q Bakery is a sight to see on weekends.

From Seattle Times Mar. 15, 2023

Her son was already on the bread line but the cost of living crisis has plunged him into poverty, she said.

From BBC Apr. 16, 2022

His first entrée into politics comes when he’s plucked from a bread line and offered $2 to fraudulently vote for the incumbent mayor.

From Slate Mar. 30, 2021

It might participate in a bread line during the Great Depression, create a funeral procession for Judy Garland, or rearrange 80 chairs.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 20, 2017

Some of those men, he surmised, had waited their turns in the bread line.

From Destiny by Buck, Charles Neville

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training