poverty line

noun

: a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor according to governmental standards

called also poverty level

Examples of poverty line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The higher odds of being below the [federal poverty line] persisted through four years. Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024 The number of rural people below the official poverty line fell from 250 million at the beginning of the decade to 96 million by 1988. Julian Gewirtz, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2022 The federal poverty line in 2023, when SAVE started, was $14,580 a year for a single person. Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 2 July 2024 In Egypt, the percentage of people living below the national poverty line rose from 16.7 percent in 2000 to 22.0 percent in 2008; in Yemen, the poverty rate rose from 34.8 percent in 2005 to 42.8 percent in 2009. Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2019 See all Example Sentences for poverty line 

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poverty line was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near poverty line

Cite this Entry

“Poverty line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poverty%20line. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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