hobo
Americannoun
plural
hobos, hoboes-
a tramp or vagrant.
-
a migratory worker.
noun
-
a tramp; vagrant
-
a migratory worker, esp an unskilled labourer
Other Word Forms
- hoboism noun
Etymology
Origin of hobo
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As an adult, I’ve tried to will myself back into enthrallment with this plucky heroine who repels a scary hobo, bravely goes without food and saves a poor Italian immigrant when others are against her.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Yes, it wasn't a boy; it was a little girl, but I couldn't tell because she was dressed like a hobo.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023
The trilogy includes “The Areas of My Expertise,” a book that contains, among other things, a list of 700 hobo names.
From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2023
“We see a cactus, then a dog, then a hobo, then a disintegrated monument, then a rainstorm,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2023
Styx shoved one end of the stick through the bandanna knot, then hiked the pack up over his shoulder, like a real old-timey hobo.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
