vagrancy

noun

va·​gran·​cy ˈvā-grən(t)-sē 

plural vagrancies

1

: the state or action of being vagrant

2

: the offense of being a vagrant

3

: vagary

Synonyms

• whim

Examples of vagrancy in a Sentence

a frequent victim to the vagrancies of the heart, she had a succession of passionate but short-lived romances

Recent Examples on the Web

Rustin served jail time and was posthumously pardoned Rustin was arrested 23 times, including a 1953 conviction in Pasadena, for vagrancy and lewd conduct — charges commonly used then to criminalize LGBTQ+ people. —Jaylen Green, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025

They were arrested on marijuana and lewd vagrancy charges. —Victoria Edel, People.com, 18 May 2025

Roughly 12% were of African descent — newly unshackled, technically free and already being legally recaptured under other names: peonage, vagrancy laws, convict leasing. —Jack Hill, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025

All the hallmarks of American poverty — bad food, obesity and urban blight — coalesced in an apocalyptic scene of destitution and vagrancy. —Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

vagr(ant) entry 1 or vagr(ant) entry 2 + -ancy

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

vagrancy

noun

va·​gran·​cy ˈvā-grən(t)-sē 

plural vagrancies

: the state or action of being vagrant

Legal Definition

vagrancy

noun

va·​gran·​cy ˈvā-grən-sē 

plural vagrancies

1

: the act or practice of wandering about from place to place

2

: the crime of wandering about without employment or identifiable means of support

the court struck down the vagrancy law as unconstitutionally vague

Note: Most vagrancy laws have been abolished.