From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbreadlinebread‧line /ˈbredlaɪn/ noun → the breadline
Examples from the Corpus
breadline• They claim the Act will lead to more financial hardship for breadline families and trigger more violence in the home.• On most days, the breadline begins to form by seven o'clock in the morning.• And resorts, tour operators and shops can not afford to advertise if they are on the breadline.• After all, the family is hardly on the breadline.• One was the incongruity between de Gaulle's ambitions and the needs of a nation on the breadline.• In the black-earth regions, however, the great majority remained close to the breadline.From Longman Business Dictionarybreadlinebread‧line /ˈbredlaɪn/ noun1be on/near the breadline to be extremely poorThey are not well-off, but they are not on the breadline.2be below the breadline to be below the level which is officially considered to be extremely pooran estimate that over half the population was living below the breadline 