impoverish
verb
[ ɪmˈpɒv(ə)rɪʃ ]
• make (a person or area) poor.
• "the wars had impoverished him"
Similar:
make poor,
make penniless,
reduce to penury,
reduce to destitution,
bring to ruin,
bring someone to their knees,
bankrupt,
ruin,
make insolvent,
wipe out,
clean out,
break,
cripple,
pauperize,
beggar,
Opposite:
make wealthy,
Origin:
late Middle English (formerly also as empoverish ): from Old French empoveriss-, lengthened stem of empoverir, based on povre ‘poor’.
