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vagrant

vagrant

25 7.7
A person who has no home and moves from place to place, often begging
  • noun
  • /ˈveɪɡrənt/
translation icon : vagabundo
  • The local shelter is open every night to provide food and warmth for vagrants in need.
  • homeless vagrant

It Shields them from the vagrants of market forces.

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Examples

  • I asked Gary if most of Bibb County's 300+ vagrants were mentally ill.

    Blog text (1)
  • Public parks and open spaces now offer economic opportunities and repose to the majority, but also attract vagrants and criminals.

    Academic text (2008)
  • By late May, the vagrant had not been charged in connection with Stephanie's death.

    Academic text (1999)
  • And New Orleans has enough vagrants already, I suggest you move along...

  • As I went in, I saw myself in a mirror, looking dirty and disreputable, a pale vagrant with red eyes.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • A group of vagrants clusters around a campfire on the top floor of one of the towers.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • There he was taken by the constables as a vagrant and sent home to Stowe Bardolf.

  • Several vagrants and squatters crowd into the room, lured by the commotion.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The city has many programs to help vagrants find shelter and job opportunities.

  • As we walked through the park, we saw a vagrant sitting on a bench with his belongings.

Synonyms

beggar
vsvagrant
77 1.0

A person who asks others for money or food

is more defined by wandering without a settled home in addition to begging
homeless person
vsvagrant
76 2.3

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

adds the idea of wandering and frequent begging as typical behaviour
homeless
vsvagrant
73 1.6

A person who has no home to live in

stresses both wandering and regular begging beyond mere lack of housing
drifter
vsvagrant
46 5.9

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

is commonly defined by wandering plus habitual begging rather than simple movement
tramp
vsvagrant
  • Informal
28 6.1

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

is more focused on wandering and habitually begging rather than occasional work
wanderer
vsvagrant
23 3.9

A person who travels without a fixed home or purpose

is more tied to survival usually involving begging instead of purposeless travel
vagabond
vsvagrant
15 7.6

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

typically includes frequent begging as a main means of living
street person
vsvagrant
11 5.6

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

is more about wandering and begging rather than mainly sleeping outside
rover
vsvagrant
6 7.0

A person who moves from place to place and has no fixed home

emphasizes survival by begging as a regular way of life
derelict
vsvagrant
3 8.4

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

focuses more on moving and begging as a chosen survival method
floater
vsvagrant
1 8.3

A person who moves from place to place without a home

typically relies on begging specifically rather than general lack of support
clochard
vsvagrant
  • Offensive
9.9

A homeless person who lives on the street, often in Paris

is the general term used across English not tied to one city
supertramp
vsvagrant
  • Archaic
9.1

A person who travels without a home and lives by odd jobs

more often survives by begging rather than earning through odd jobs
beggarman
vsvagrant
8.2

A man who asks people for money or food on the street

includes wandering and lack of work as typical not only public begging
rough sleeper
vsvagrant
  • UK
7.1

A person who sleeps outside because they have no home

is more about moving and begging rather than only sleeping outside

Antonyms

1.8

A person who lives in a place for a long time

216 2.5

A person who owns the house or apartment where they live

How Settled

homeowner
216 2.5
to tenant
1 4.8
lodger
  • UK
5 3.4
vagrant
25 7.7

Surface Forms

vagrant singular
vagrants plural

Morphology

vagrant = vag + ant

Although built from a root meaning 'wander' plus the suffix '-ant', the root 'vag' is not a standalone English word and the formation is not transparently analyzable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Vagrant comes from an old Latin verb vagari, which means 'to wander'. It originally named a person who wanders without a home, the same idea you find in the English word vagabond, so a vagrant today is someone who moves from place to place with no fixed house or work.