people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group)
"the urban poor need assistance"
deserving or inciting pity
"a hapless victim"
"miserable victims of war"
"the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"
"piteous appeals for help"
"pitiable homeless children"
"a pitiful fate"
"Oh, you poor thing"
"his poor distorted limbs"
"a wretched life"
having little money or few possessions
"deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"
"the proverbial poor artist living in a garret"
characterized by or indicating poverty
"the country had a poor economy"
"they lived in the poor section of town"
lacking in quality or substances
"a poor land"
"the area was poor in timber and coal"
"food poor in nutritive value"
"the food in the cafeteria was of poor quality"
of insufficient quantity to meet a need
"an inadequate income"
"a poor salary"
"money is short"
"on short rations"
"food is in short supply"
"short on experience"
"the jejune diets of the very poor"
With no or few possessions or money, particularly in relation to contemporaries who do have them.
"After his factory closed and he lost his savings, John became poor compared to his wealthy neighbors who still drove new cars."
In plain English: Poor means having very little money or resources to get by.
"They had a very poor harvest this year due to the drought."
Usage: Use "poor" as an adjective to describe someone who lacks money or material resources compared to others. Do not use it to mean weak, unskilled, or of low quality unless referring specifically to financial hardship.
The word "poor" comes from the Latin pauper, which originally meant "getting little." It entered Middle English through Old French and eventually replaced native English terms like "unlede" to describe someone lacking wealth.