hobo

American  

[hoh-boh] / ˈhoʊ boʊ /

noun

plural

hobos, hoboes

1. a tramp or vagrant.

2. a migratory worker.

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hobo British  

/ ˈhəʊbəʊ /

noun

1. a tramp; vagrant

2. a migratory worker, esp an unskilled labourer

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Other Word Forms

• hoboism noun

Etymology

Origin of hobo

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Part hobo, part insult comic, part performance artist, Diogenes flaunted his disregard for convention in ways that scandalized the bourgeoisie of Athens and, later, Corinth, after his banishment from Sinope became permanent.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

I also remember that when I spent some time with hobos — and I’m not sure if that’s a pejorative word today, but they’re a little different category of people than simply those who are homeless.

From Los Angeles Times

On Jan. 18, 1888, the Los Angeles Evening Express reported that “39 tramps, known to the constables as ‘hobos,’” had been arrested and found guilty of vagrancy.

From Los Angeles Times

When you think about the folk era, when it was really hot — burning hot — it was hobos on freighters writing songs about social injustice.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drifter
• homeless person
• tramp
• unhoused person
• wanderer