workhouse
a house of correction.
British. (formerly) a poorhouse in which paupers were given work.
Obsolete. a workshop.
Origin of workhouse
1Words Nearby workhouse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use workhouse in a sentence
It is sad to find how many of the old favourites of the music-hall fall upon evil times, and even die in the workhouse.
The little bullet-headed Jim was drafted off to the workhouse school, and from thence to a small fishing-smack.
The Chequers | James RuncimanThe Central Authority was directed to make rules, etc., "for the education of the children" in the workhouse.
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney WebbInside the workhouse, the "able-bodied" (in the workhouse sense) are divided simply into male and female.
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney WebbA more difficult question was whether a man could continue to receive relief in the workhouse if his wife insisted on leaving it.
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney Webb
British Dictionary definitions for workhouse
/ (ˈwɜːkˌhaʊs) /
(formerly in England) an institution maintained at public expense where able-bodied paupers did unpaid work in return for food and accommodation
(in the US) a prison for petty offenders serving short sentences at manual labour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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