vagrant

[ vey-gruh nt ]

/ ˈveɪ grənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vagrant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who wanders about idly and has no permanent home or employment; vagabond; tramp.

Law. an idle person without visible means of support, as a tramp or beggar.

a person who wanders from place to place; wanderer; rover.

wandering idly without a permanent home or employment; living in vagabondage: vagrant beggars.

of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant: the vagrant life.

adjective

wandering or roaming from place to place; nomadic.

(of plants) straggling in growth.

not fixed or settled, especially in course; moving hither and thither: a vagrant leaf blown by the wind.

Nearby words

Origin of vagrant

1400–50; late Middle English vagaraunt, apparently present participle of Anglo-French *vagrer, perhaps < Middle English *vagren, blend of vagen (< Latin vagārī to wander) and *walcren (> Old French wa(u)crer), equivalent to walc- (see walk) + -r- frequentative suffix + -en infinitive suffix

SYNONYMS FOR vagrant

1 Vagrant, vagabond describe an idle, disreputable person who lacks a fixed abode. Vagrant suggests a tramp, a person with no settled abode or livelihood, an idle and disorderly person: picked up by police as a vagrant. Vagabond especially emphasizes the idea of worthless living, often by trickery, thieving, or other disreputable means: Actors were once classed with rogues and vagabonds.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vagrant ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

va·grant·ly, adverbva·grant·ness, nounnon·va·grant, adjectivenon·va·grant·ly, adverb

non·va·grant·ness, nounun·va·grant, adjectiveun·va·grant·ly, adverbun·va·grant·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vagrant

In an interview, Liang said, “Air should be the most valueless commodity, free to breathe for any vagrant or beggar.”
The Chinese Can’t Catch Their Breath|Brendon Hong|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These Maruts stir up even the sluggard, even the vagrant, as the gods pleased.
Sacred Books of the East|Various
He shipped with the fishing boats in the summer and cruised with any vagrant craft for the winter.
Heralds of Empire|Agnes C. Laut
"I ain't no vagrant," glared Billy, and limped away with old trusty under his left arm.
The City of Fire|Grace Livingston Hill

The old woman became a wanderer and a vagrant, and was at length passed to her native parish, where she has since dwelt.
Eugene Aram, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
He used it as a whip with which to scourge any vagrant hopes that dared creep into his heart.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice

British Dictionary definitions for vagrant

vagrant

/ (ˈveɪɡrənt) /

noun

a person of no settled abode, income, or job; tramp

a migratory animal that is off course

adjective

wandering about; nomadic

of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant or vagabond

moving in an erratic fashion, without aim or purpose; wayward

(of plants) showing uncontrolled or straggling growth

Archaic equivalent: vagrom (ˈveɪɡrəm)

Derived Formsvagrantly, adverbvagrantness, noun

Word Origin for vagrant

C15: probably from Old French waucrant (from wancrer to roam, of Germanic origin), but also influenced by Old French vagant vagabond, from Latin vagārī to wander

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

Word Origin and History for vagrant

vagrant

mid-15c., perhaps an alteration (by influence of Latin vagari "wander") of Anglo-French wacrant, noun use of present participle of Old French wacrer "to walk or wander," from a Germanic source (e.g. Old Norse valka "wander"). The adjective is recorded from early 15c.

vagrant

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of vagrant

Examples from the Web for vagrant

British Dictionary definitions for vagrant

vagrant

noun

adjective

Word Origin for vagrant

Word Origin and History for vagrant

vagrant