poorhouse

noun

poor·​house ˈpu̇r-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce poorhouse (audio)
ˈpȯr-
: a place maintained at public expense to house needy or dependent persons

Examples of poorhouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An inclination to laugh all the way to the poorhouse? Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025 Betting against correlation is a road to the poorhouse. Clem Chambers, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 In 1902, as California thought to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the blessing of the navel orange, as 8,000 railroad cars of oranges were sent to market each year, Luther Tibbets was living in a Riverside poorhouse. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2024 Brains have surfaced from northern European peat bogs, Andean mountaintops, shipwrecks, desert tombs and Victorian poorhouses. Katie Hunt, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for poorhouse

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poorhouse was circa 1579

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Cite this Entry

“Poorhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poorhouse. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

poorhouse

noun
poor·​house ˈpu̇(ə-)r-ˌhau̇s How to pronounce poorhouse (audio)
ˈpō(ə)r-
: a place maintained at public expense to house poor people
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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