sofa surfing

British

noun

informal (of a homeless person) the practice of staying temporarily with various friends and relatives while attempting to find permanent accommodation

"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

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.

They say that around 189,000 families and individuals who faced the worst forms of homelessness such as rough sleeping, sofa surfing and living in tents were not included in official statistics.

From BBC

At the time of his death, he was homeless and sofa surfing.

From BBC

Greater Change acknowledges that its support is most effective when it is used as an early intervention - when someone is sofa surfing, or at risk of homelessness - rather than for helping entrenched rough sleepers who might need intensive mental health support for instance.

From BBC

When we met the man - who we are calling Nam to protect his identity - he was carrying all of his possessions in a small black bag and had been sofa surfing around the UK for weeks.

From BBC

Daniel Thomson is homeless and has been "sofa surfing" for four months.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023