hobo

[ hoh-boh ]

/ ˈhoʊ boʊ /

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noun, plural ho·bos, ho·boes.

a tramp or vagrant.

a migratory worker.

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Origin of hobo

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM hobo

ho·bo·ism, noun

Words nearby hobo

hobday, hobgoblin, hobnail, hobnailed, hobnob, hobo, Hoboken, Hobrecht, Hobson, Hobson-Jobson, Hobson's choice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hobo in a sentence

It says there was an arch built there in 1913, but it burned down in 1937, possibly as a result of hobos.
The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping|Kaleb Horton|July 23, 2021|Vox
The men acted as modern hobos during a 400-mile, multi-stage trek, avoiding cops, depending on the occasional kindness of strangers, waking to hard rains on raw mornings.
Sebastian Junger: What We Talk About When We Talk About Freedom|Nathan S. Webster|May 31, 2021|The Daily Beast
Right now, the area’s most famous feathered hobo is a painted bunting.
Catch me if you can: An unlikely hummingbird is banded at a Virginia park|John Kelly|January 18, 2021|Washington Post
Maybe you can only afford a penny a day, for a total donation of $3.65 per year, and become a Sustaining Hobo member!
How to Survive a Public Radio Membership Drive|Kelly Williams Brown|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Then as Hobo took his stand where he could view proceedings, the boy turned abruptly to Peggy.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
Hobo growled softly, the hair on his neck bristling and giving him a peculiarly savage appearance.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
She marched out into the kitchen, Hobo following, and as she reached the door, the knocking began for the third time.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
Hobo stretched himself upon the folded rug with a groan startlingly human.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
The "Hobo" is that part of a prison where the minor offenders are confined together in a large iron cage.
The Road|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for hobo

hobo

/ (ˈhəʊbəʊ) /

noun plural -bos or -boes mainly US and Canadian

a tramp; vagrant

a migratory worker, esp an unskilled labourer

Derived forms of hobo

hoboism, noun

Word Origin for hobo

C19 (US): origin unknown

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

hobo

Origin of hobo

OTHER WORDS FROM hobo

Words nearby hobo

Words related to hobo

How to use hobo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hobo

Derived forms of hobo

Word Origin for hobo