rolling stone

British  

noun

1. a restless or wandering person

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rolling stone Idioms  

1. A person who moves about a great deal and never settles down, as in Kate's lived in ten cities in as many years—she's a real rolling stone. This expression is a shortening of the proverb a rolling stone gathers no moss, first recorded in 1523, which indicates that one who never settles anywhere will not do well. After some 300 years of this interpretation, in the mid-1800s the value of gathering moss (and staying put) began to be questioned, and in current usage the term is most often used without any particular value judgment.

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Example Sentences

A variation on the adage that “a rolling stone gathers no moss,” Waters’ classic tune makes for a fitting capstone — perhaps even for the band’s unique, unparalleled career on rock’s highwire.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2023

“A rolling stone may even collect moss here,” said the nursery, which sells three kinds of the resilient, flowerless plant that rehydrates quickly after drying and thrives in moist, shady areas.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2022

When the first bars rang out and Elton sang, “I used to be a rolling stone, you know/If the cause was right,” I didn’t know what would happen next.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2022

Casey Johnston, an editor at the Outline, tweeted earlier this month, “making chronic lyme, a fake disease, about believing women is as helpful to the cause as the rolling stone rape victim’s fabricated story.”

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2018

“Well, I can’t say I blame her. I been in and out of the city for the past twenty years. A rolling stone, if you know what I mean.”

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

Related Words

• hobo
• transient
• unhoused person