idiom (verb phrase) · neutral
live on the breadline
UK/lɪv ɒn ðə ˈbrɛdlaɪn/US/lɪv ɑn ðə ˈbrɛdlaɪn/LIVE ON THE BREAD·LINE
to have very little money and live in poverty
Examples
“After his company collapsed he and his family lived on the breadline for several years.”
“Policies that reduce wages risk pushing more households onto the breadline.”
“Many elderly people live on the breadline despite having worked all their lives.”
Band 8 sentence
“Wage stagnation and rising rents have left a significant share of the workforce living on the breadline.”
Collocations
- live on the breadline in the city
- push households onto the breadline
Word family
Common mistakes
live on breadline→live on the breadline
live in the breadline→live on the breadline
Say it for a higher band
5be poor→6be below the poverty line→7+live on the breadline
Synonyms
be poor
Easily confused
below the poverty line
“Many households fall below the poverty line despite government transfers.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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