dirt poor
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.
“We were dirt poor, had big Scottish accents at the time, a family of six siblings, and then coming to very conventional suburban schools,” he said, the memory eliciting a wild-card smile.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
“We were dirt poor so I couldn’t afford to go to the movies often,” he told the AP in 1998.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023
He had grown up dirt poor in what is now South Korea, then occupied by Japan.
From Science Magazine • May 3, 2023
"Patients who were put in there were dirt poor," said Clare Blackmore, one of the volunteers.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2023
The problem was that her family was dirt poor.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
