Poverty Row

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

The small and mostly short-lived B-movie studios in Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s, many of them near what is now Gower Street.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “Poverty Row” mean?

The small and mostly short-lived B-movie studios in Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s, many of them near what is now Gower Street.

Is “Poverty Row” formal or informal?

Poverty Row is generally slang.