impoverish

transitive-verb
UK: /ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ/
US: /ɪmˈpɑːvərɪʃ/

  1. To make someone poor.

    1. The war did impoverish many families.
    2. High medical bills can quickly impoverish a middle-class family facing illness.

  2. To reduce the quality or value of something.

    1. Overfarming can impoverish the soil.
    2. Relying too much on technology may impoverish our social interactions.

Synonyms

degrade deplete exhaust ruin bankrupt
impoverish intransitive-verb

  1. To become poor.

    1. They impoverish when lose job.
    2. Many rural communities impoverish due to lack of economic opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "impoverish" in English means: To make someone poor., To reduce the quality or value of something..

The phonetic transcription of "impoverish" is /ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ/ in British English and /ɪmˈpɑːvərɪʃ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "impoverish": degrade, deplete, exhaust, ruin, bankrupt.

Example usage of "impoverish": "The war did impoverish many families.". More examples on the page.