poor boy
Americannoun
Regionalisms
See hero sandwich.
Etymology
Origin of poor boy
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80
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.
A po' boy, which comes from "poor boy", is a New Orleans street food sandwich that celebrates Louisiana's seafood.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025
In his campaign announcement, Santos didn’t mention any of that and instead highlighted his zeal in fighting for conservative principles in Washington and his background as “a poor boy of immigrant parents in Queens.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
There’s no quiz show in “Age of Vice,” but there is a poor boy who slides through a backdoor into a demimonde of degraded sophisticates.
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2023
This info actually helped us realize that the poor boy has terrible seasonal allergies, and he’s now on a daily Zyrtec regimen — and much happier for it.
From The Verge ● Jul. 13, 2022
I’ll set me up in a market on market day, sing songs, juggle a little, whatever it takes to make a penny or two for a poor boy like meself.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
