poorhouse

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpʊəˌhaʊs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpʊrˌhaʊs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pŏŏr′hous′)

Inflections of 'poorhouse' (n): npl: poorhouses

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
poor•house /ˈpʊrˌhaʊs/USA pronunciation   n. [countable], pl. -hous•es. 
  1. a place in which poor people were formerly given a place to live at public expense.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
poor•house  (pŏŏr′hous′),USA pronunciation n., pl. -hous•es 
    (-hou′ziz).USA pronunciation 
  1. (formerly) an institution in which paupers were maintained at public expense.
  • poor + house 1735–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
poorhouse / ˈpʊəˌhaʊs ˈpɔː-/
  1. (formerly) a publicly maintained institution offering accommodation to the poor
'poorhouse' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
almshouse - beadsman - candidate - county home - out-relief - overseer - workhouse

Forum discussions with the word(s) "poorhouse" in the title:


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