workhouse
Americannoun
plural
workhouses-
a house of correction.
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British. (formerly) a poorhouse in which paupers were given work.
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Obsolete. a workshop.
noun
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(formerly in England) an institution maintained at public expense where able-bodied paupers did unpaid work in return for food and accommodation
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(in the US) a prison for petty offenders serving short sentences at manual labour
Etymology
Origin of workhouse
before 1100; Middle English werkhous, Old English weorchūs workshop. See work, house
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.
That Tomás, who has already survived the Great Hunger as well as a cruel workhouse, isn’t already a lunatic is perhaps less fantastical than the plot itself at times.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
In the late 1840s, the ground in south Belfast was used to bury poor people from a nearby workhouse.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2025
The answer is simple: It’s a workhouse and is needed,” Mr Loranger said.
From Washington Times • Nov. 29, 2023
Mr. Bumble, the workhouse beadle, asks gleefully, in six-eight rhythm.
From New York Times • May 4, 2023
Since our return from Jenkintown, I was working harder than ever to stay on Aunt Kitty’s good side and avoid the orphan house, the workhouse, or any other living arrangement that meant sending me away.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
