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Synonyms

guttersnipe

American  
[guht-er-snahyp] / ˈgʌt ərˌsnaɪp /

noun

  1. a person belonging to or characteristic of the lowest social group in a city.

  2. a street urchin.

guttersnipe British  
/ ˈɡʌtəˌsnaɪp /

noun

  1. a child who spends most of his time in the streets, esp in a slum area

  2. a person regarded as having the behaviour, morals, etc, of one brought up in squalor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • guttersnipish adjective

Etymology

Origin of guttersnipe

First recorded in 1855–60; gutter + snipe

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.

By this juncture, the only thing we know for sure is that Ferrara, bless his guttersnipe soul, is still bracingly, adamantly himself.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2021

“What are we going to do,” the queen despaired, “about my sister’s guttersnipe life?”

From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2021

A full throttle paean to New York, this prologue levitates on the velocity of its nameless narrator’s guttersnipe lyricism.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2020

Parliament's website lists examples of words that might be considered offensive, including "stoolpigeon", "blackguard", "coward", "git", "guttersnipe", "hooligan" and "rat".

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2019

I'm a spiritual guttersnipe in love with unimaginable goddesses.

From Tono Bungay by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

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.