pauper

noun

pau·​per ˈpȯ-pər 

1

old-fashioned : a person destitute of means except such as are derived from charity

specifically : one who receives aid from funds designated for the poor

2

old-fashioned : a very poor person

… you'll wind up a pauper on skid row …

—Robert Bixby

pauperism

ˈpȯ-pə-ˌri-zəm 

noun

Examples of pauper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tate eventually moved in with her family, who rejected Austen; Austen moved to the Staten Island Farm Colony, a pauper’s hospital. —Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025

When the new sections were added, the old burying ground became a pauper's cemetery for poor White and and Black residents. —Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025

Brian Niccol, the coffee chain boss, is paid a pauper’s sum of nearly $100 million. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

In it, novice nun Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle (Fernando Rey) and a motley assemblage of paupers force her to confront the limits of her idealism. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, poor — more at poor

First Known Use

1516, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pauper

• chopper
• copper
• cropper
• dropper
• popper
• proper
• shopper
• stopper
• topper
• whopper
• eavesdropper
• grasshopper

Kids Definition

pauper

noun

pau·​per ˈpȯ-pər 

: a very poor person

especially : one supported by charity

pauperism

-pə-ˌriz-əm 

noun

pauperize

-ˌrīz

verb

Legal Definition

pauper

noun

pau·​per ˈpȯ-pər 

: a person who is destitute and relying on charity

specifically : a person who is relieved of the costs and expenses of a court proceeding because of poverty