poor

1. Poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. Poor is the simple term for the condition of lacking means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. Impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. Impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty, from which one has been reduced: the impoverished aristocracy. Penniless may mean destitute, or it may apply simply to a temporary condition of being without funds: The widow was left penniless with three small children.

how to pronounce poor

In the North and North Midland U.S., the vowel of poor is most often

[oo]. /ʊ/. Poor and sure thus contrast with pour and shore:

[poor], /pʊər/,

[shoor] /ʃʊər/ versus

[pawr], /pɔr/,

[shawr] /ʃɔr/ or

[pohr], /poʊr/,

[shohr]. /ʃoʊr/. In the South Midland and South, the vowel of poor is generally

[aw] /ɔ/ or

[oh] /oʊ/ (often with the final (r) dropped), which means that in these areas, poor and pour are homophones, as are sure and shore. Both types of pronunciation exist in the British Isles.

OTHER WORDS FROM poor

poorness, nounnon·poor, nounquasi-poor, adjectivequasi-poorly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH poor

paw, poor , pore

How to use poor in a sentence

“This is tragic because nobody needs good policing more than poorer neighborhoods with higher crime rates,” Obama said.
Darren Wilson Wasn’t Indicted—the System Was|Michael Daly|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It captured a worldview and fate that I hope the people from the poorer parts of the state can one day escape.
The State Where the Right Won the Culture War|Michael Tomasky|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another group more likely to be poorer than others is young adults aged 18 to 24.
The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty|Monica Potts|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much smaller, poorer countries are opening their gates for refugees from violence-torn parts of the world.
Is it Time to Send Lady Liberty Back to France?|Gene Robinson|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She paints the current rodent situation as more than a foul inconvenience, and one that is a particular blight on poorer areas.
Crowdsourcing NYC’s War on Rats|Kevin Zawacki|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cheap as they are, they are a poorer speculation than even corner lots in a lithographic city of Nebraska or Oregon.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
I wish the thing were over and done with, though it left you a few thousand pounds the poorer.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Those were busy days in the history of the “Anchor,” and the constant stream of poorer wayfarers added to the bustle.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
The money she saved by this great frugality she distributed among the poorer prisoners.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
These are the poorer class of models—the riff-raff of the Quarter—who get anywhere from a few sous to a few francs for a séance.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith

British Dictionary definitions for poor

poor

/ (pʊə, pɔː) /

adjective

lacking financial or other means of subsistence; needy
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the poor

characterized by or indicating povertythe country had a poor economy

deficient in amount; scanty or inadequatea poor salary

(when postpositive, usually foll by in) badly supplied (with resources, materials, etc)a region poor in wild flowers

lacking in quality; inferior

giving no pleasure; disappointing or disagreeablea poor play

(prenominal) deserving of pity; unluckypoor John is ill again

poor man's something a (cheaper) substitute for something

Derived forms of poor

poorness, noun

Word Origin for poor

C13: from Old French povre, from Latin pauper; see pauper, poverty

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

poor

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Origin of poor

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how to pronounce poor

OTHER WORDS FROM poor

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH poor

Words related to poor

How to use poor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for poor

Derived forms of poor

Word Origin for poor