street people

American  

[street pee-puhl] / ˈstrit ˌpi pəl /

plural noun

1. people whose home is on the streets of a city; people who are unhoused or experiencing homelessness.

2. people who make their living on the streets, especially of large cities, as vendors or performers.

3. the people of a neighborhood, especially a poor and crowded big-city neighborhood, who frequent the streets of their area.

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Etymology

Origin of street people

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

street people

“It can be used to point at people in the street, people in cars, and scan their facial prints without their consent,” said Kate Voigt, a senior policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

In the street, people danced to the sound of reggae tunes and local funana music.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

“When we walk down the street, people know she’s somebody,” she said later of Sullivan.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2023

I don’t necessarily know what the specific elements are, but when I go to New York, and I walk down the street, people will yell at me that they can tell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2023

While I’d been in San Francisco and I wore my uniform in the street, people of all kinds would come up to me and say hello.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac