From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpoorhousepoor‧house /ˈpɔːhaʊs $ ˈpʊr-/ noun [countable] 1 the state of not having any money If Jimmy keeps spending like this, he’s going to end up in the poorhouse.2 PEWa building where very poor people in the past could live and be fed, which was paid for with public money SYN workhouse
Examples from the Corpus
poorhouse• Sanitation was primitive and the poorhouses in regular use.• When that breaks down, they're sent to what used to be the poorhouse.• Having exhausted her savings, Annie Taylor now faced the poorhouse.• At best she'd be back in the poorhouse while he ... it didn't bear thinking of. 