An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had grown up dirt poor in what is now South Korea, then occupied by Japan.
From Science Magazine • May 3, 2023
“When I grew up dirt poor, museums were not for me,” said Eggers, who has been with the Burke for seven years now.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2022
She says she grew up dirt poor on a pig farm in Alabama, but rose to be the first in her family to complete college, and she served in the armed forces reserves.
From Slate • May 15, 2022
Henry’s uncle, Collis P. Huntington, was born dirt poor, but as a rapacious founding partner and then cutthroat president of the Central Pacific Railroad, he became immensely rich.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2019
I figured it wouldn’t do me any good if they knew I was dirt poor.
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
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.
