workhouse
noun
work·house
ˈwərk-ˌhau̇s 
1
British
: poorhouse
2
: a house of correction for persons guilty of minor law violations
Examples of workhouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The boy who gets the prosthetic finger is left at the workhouse because his family can no longer afford him.
—
Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Originally intended as a workhouse, Rikers Island has grown into a sprawling complex of jails that currently houses thousands of inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Her father lost a leg in World War I, her mother was born out of wedlock, and her grandmother once labored in a workhouse for the poor.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Murphy’s latest project, Small Things Like These, depicting the horrors of Ireland’s church’s abusive workhouses for unwed mothers, is set for a Nov. 1 release in the U.K., and Nov. 8 in the U.S.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for workhouse
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Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Originally intended as a workhouse, Rikers Island has grown into a sprawling complex of jails that currently houses thousands of inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Her father lost a leg in World War I, her mother was born out of wedlock, and her grandmother once labored in a workhouse for the poor.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Murphy’s latest project, Small Things Like These, depicting the horrors of Ireland’s church’s abusive workhouses for unwed mothers, is set for a Nov. 1 release in the U.K., and Nov. 8 in the U.S.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for workhouse
Cite this Entry
“Workhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workhouse. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
workhouse
noun
work·house
ˈwərk-ˌhau̇s
1
British
: poorhouse
2
: a place where persons who have committed minor wrongdoings are kept
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