pauper
Americannoun
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a person without any means of support, especially a destitute person who depends on aid from public welfare funds or charity.
-
a very poor person.
noun
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a person who is extremely poor
-
(formerly) a destitute person supported by public charity
Other Word Forms
- pauperage noun
- pauperdom noun
- pauperism noun
Etymology
Origin of pauper
1485–95; < Latin: poor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Believe it or not, I have spent the day among paupers. A pauper is someone who is exceptionally poor,” she added, by way of explanation to Alexander and Beowulf.
From Literature
A Nigerian mum might say: 'Do you want to live your life as a pauper forever?'
From BBC
The sport of kings to some, the sport of paupers for most.
From Salon
"The RFU keep trumpeting community rugby as the lifeblood of the game, while at the same time seemingly treating them like paupers."
From BBC
Gi-hun, meanwhile, is living like a pauper, holed up in an empty fleabag hotel he owns and refusing to spend any of the fortune he’d won on himself.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
