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clochard

clochard

9.9
A homeless person who lives on the street, often in Paris
  • noun
  • /kloʊˈʃɑr/
  • Offensive
translation icon : vagabundo
  • The clochard on the corner of the street often shares stories of his travels with anyone who stops to listen.

Examples

  • I sat in the park looking up at the sky when a clochard sat on the other end of the park bench.

    Blog text (2)
  • Two of the men were clochards.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Manfred said, "Some years ago - during a photo club trip in Munich - I met a white-bearded Clochard sitting on the street."

    Academic text (2001)
  • Not that the Justica did squat about anything it called "local issues," and the clochards definitely were that.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The bridge is always crowded with vehicles, clochards, salespeople, college students, the aged, infants, and dogs.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • While walking through the city, I noticed a clochard rummaging through a trash can for something to eat.

  • In Paris, many clochards seek shelter in the metro stations during the cold nights.

Synonyms

homeless person
vsclochard
76 2.3

A person who has no home and often lives on the streets

is the French word for that kind of person in Paris
drifter
vsclochard
46 5.9

A person who moves from place to place and has no permanent home or steady job

is used in Paris for someone who often stays in one city
tramp
vsclochard
  • Informal
28 6.1

A person who has no home and travels, often begging or doing casual work

is a Paris term for that travelling homeless type
vagrant
vsclochard
25 7.7

A person who has no home and moves from place to place, often begging

is the Paris-specific term for that homeless wandering type
vagabond
vsclochard
15 7.6

A person who moves from place to place without a home or job

can mean a similar person who may stay in one city
street person
vsclochard
11 5.6

A person without a home who sleeps outdoors or in public places

is a Paris term that is not limited to those sleeping outdoors
derelict
vsclochard
3 8.4

A person who has no home or job and is ignored by other people

is the Paris word used without the social neglect emphasis
floater
vsclochard
1 8.3

A person who moves from place to place without a home

is an informal Paris term for homeless people in the city

How Homeless

clochard
  • Offensive
9.9
vagrant
25 7.7
tenant
248 3.0
homeowner
216 2.5

Surface Forms

clochard singular
clochards plural

Etymology

Clochard comes from the French word cloche 'bell', and a helpful image is of people who begged or slept near church bells in the streets. So clochard became a word for a 'homeless person' or tramp, especially in Paris.