beachcomber

American  

[beech-koh-mer] / ˈbitʃˌkoʊ mər /

noun

1. a person who lives by gathering saleable articles of jetsam, refuse, etc., from beaches.

2. a vagrant who lives on the seashore, especially a nonnative person living in such a way on a South Pacific island.

3. a long wave rolling in from the ocean onto the beach.

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beachcomber British  

/ ˈbiːtʃˌkəʊmə /

noun

1. a person who searches shore debris for anything of worth, esp a vagrant living on a beach

2. (in British Columbia) a person who is paid for salvaging loose logs and returning them to logging companies

3. a long high wave rolling onto a beach

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Other Word Forms

• beachcombing noun

Etymology

Origin of beachcomber

First recorded in 1830–40; beach + comber

Example Sentences

“The upshot of this line of precedent is that government-authorized invasions of property — whether by plane, boat, cable, or beachcomber — are physical takings requiring just compensation,” he wrote.

From Washington Post • Jun. 23, 2021

Soon, moving along the rows of the periodic table like a beachcomber on a shore, Cade began to experiment with salts of rubidium, cerium and strontium.

From Nature • Aug. 25, 2019

But 35 years ago, on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, I met another sort of beachcomber.

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2013

Question 7 The gigantic blue eyeball found by a Florida beachcomber last week was determined on Monday to have likely come from what?

From Slate • Oct. 19, 2012

He reminded me of a beachcomber from Key West.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• nomad
• vagabond