1. the act of making someone poor or reducing them to poverty
Usage: present participle of 'pauper' (used as a verb); formal or literary

Examples

• The economic collapse was paupering families across the region.
• High medical bills are paupering many middle-class households.
• The war left the country paupering its citizens through heavy taxation.
• Unfair trade practices were paupering local farmers.
• The landlord's rent increases were paupering the tenants.