the have-nots

the have-nots

Those who are deprived of or lacking in material wealth; the lower class or the poor. Used especially in juxtaposition to "the haves," i.e., the wealthy. The politician ran on a platform of educating and empowering the have-nots across the country. I come from a long line of have-nots, so I vowed at a young age to do whatever it took to become successful and wealthy. In the corrupt country, there are only two types of people—the haves and the have-nots.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

the have-nots

n. the poor; those who have little or nothing. (Compare this with the haves.) The have-nots seem never to be able to get ahead.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.