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poor law

American

noun

a law or system of laws providing for the relief or support of poor people at public expense.

poor law British

noun

English history a law providing for the relief or support of the poor from public, esp parish, funds

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of poor law

First recorded in 1745–55

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:

poor law

She was elected to the Nantwich Board of Guardians, who administered the poor law, and also travelled around the country speaking for the ILP.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2023

Corruption, poor law enforcement and armed conflict have left West and Central Africa vulnerable to international criminals and made the region a hotbed of ivory and pangolin scale trafficking to Asia in recent years.

From Reuters ● Dec. 13, 2021

The theory was deterrence: make the poor law frightening and only the most desperate – those truly in need – would trouble the authorities and public purse.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 21, 2017

On Tuesday Akilesh Yadav said criticism of the poor law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh was unfair.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 3, 2014

By the poor law, 4 and 5 William IV., c.

From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Roscher, Wilhelm

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023