workhouse

[ wurk-hous ]

/ ˈwɜrkˌhaʊs /

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noun, plural work·hous·es

[wurk-hou-ziz]. /ˈwɜrkˌhaʊ zɪz/.

a house of correction.

British. (formerly) a poorhouse in which paupers were given work.

Obsolete. a workshop.

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of workhouse

before 1100; Middle English werkhous,Old English weorchūs workshop. See work, house

Words nearby workhouse

work-furlough, work-harden, work hardening, workhorse, work-hour, workhouse, work in, working, working asset, working bee, working capital

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, July 27, 1895|Various
The little bullet-headed Jim was drafted off to the workhouse school, and from thence to a small fishing-smack.
The Chequers|James Runciman
The Central Authority was directed to make rules, etc., "for the education of the children" in the workhouse.
English Poor Law Policy|Sidney Webb
Inside the workhouse, the "able-bodied" (in the workhouse sense) are divided simply into male and female.
English Poor Law Policy|Sidney Webb

A 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

workhouse

/ (ˈwɜːkˌhaʊs) /

noun

(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