panhandler

[pan-hand-ler]

noun

1. a person who accosts passers-by on the street, riders on the subway, motorists stopped at red lights, etc., and begs from them.

   A panhandler used to stop me every morning outside this coffee shop, asking me for spare change.

Word History and Origins

Origin of panhandler¹

First recorded in 1890–95; panhandle ² + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Shortly after moving here, I was approached by a panhandler in the parking garage of the Beverly Center.

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He hopes that his ramshackle, crazed aesthetic will prove his sincerity and urgency, like the cardboard signs of the panhandler or proselytizer.

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In Kalispell, city leaders approved an ordinance to punish motorists who give money or supplies to panhandlers.

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This shift has been felt keenly in the realm of street-level charitable giving — from individual donations to panhandlers and street musicians to the red Salvation Army donation kettles outside grocery stores.

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“He was a panhandler. We called him the ‘dollar man.’

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Related Words

• beggar 
• mendicant