1
: a person destitute of means except such as are derived from charity
specifically
: one who receives aid from funds designated for the poor
paupers on welfare
2
: a very poor person
Examples of pauper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There were also prisoners, paupers and unclaimed bodies who went into mass graves, including remains of 39,307 Catholics at Holy Cross.
—
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Instead, town officials buried him in a pauper’s grave.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The woman was killed by one of Iblis’ masters, a pauper who dreamed of infinite wealth and attention.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
The time-traveler received terrible, albeit false, news in Episode 6: A midwife who’d been paid to lie informed him that Julia and their baby had died during childbirth, their bodies thrown in a pauper’s grave.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pauper
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Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Instead, town officials buried him in a pauper’s grave.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
The woman was killed by one of Iblis’ masters, a pauper who dreamed of infinite wealth and attention.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
The time-traveler received terrible, albeit false, news in Episode 6: A midwife who’d been paid to lie informed him that Julia and their baby had died during childbirth, their bodies thrown in a pauper’s grave.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pauper
Cite this Entry
“Pauper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pauper. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pauper
noun
pau·per
ˈpȯ-pər 
: a very poor person
especially
: one supported by charity
pauperize
verb
-ˌrīz
Legal Definition
pauper
noun
pau·per
ˈpȯ-pər
: a person who is destitute and relying on charity
specifically
: a person who is relieved of the costs and expenses of a court proceeding because of poverty
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