hobo

play

noun ho·bo \ˈhō-(ˌ)bō\

Definition of hobo

plural

hoboes

also

hobos

1 : a migratory worker
2 : a homeless and usually penniless vagabond

See hobo defined for English-language learners

See hobo defined for kids

Examples of hobo in a Sentence

kind folks who always gave hoboes who came to the farm a meal and then sent them on their way

Recent Examples of hobo from the Web

Although temporarily winds knocked over its famous fiberglass hobo statute in 2015, the place continues to do simple Region fare right — juicy hot dogs with poppy seed buns, Polish sausage and piping hot fries.

— meredith colias, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Station: Parks, a children's play center and art gallery," 13 June 2017
A dive bar, for instance, does not have to harbor rats, hobos or cobwebs.

— tim carman, ajc, "America's most authentic dive bars," 7 May 2017
That’s the grim Depression setting for this gravelly but rhapsodic romance, from 1933, between Bill (Spencer Tracy), a hobo with wanderlust, and Trina (Loretta Young), a stalwart dreamer who loves him to pieces.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Man’s Castle," 31 Mar. 2017
There was also a day in 1959, when Pacino was nineteen and broke as a hobo, that tells what those times were like.

— jimmy breslin, Esquire, "The Oddfather," 20 Mar. 2017
The birds move with comic grace, like Fred Astaire and Judy Garland as hobo swells in oversize shoes.

— natalie angier, New York Times, "On Galápagos, Revealing the Blue-Footed Booby’s True Colors," 6 Mar. 2017
Other characters include a male hobo ranting about Situationism, a New York stockbroker laying it all out for Futurism, a sci-fi lab technician discussing Suprematism, and a God-fearing Southern mother bowing her head to rail about Pop Art.

— jordan hoffman, VanityFair.com, "Cate Blanchett’s Manifesto Is a Cheeky Work of Art," 28 Jan. 2017
Fast forward to bangles, clutches, hobos, more home accents and a nod from Barney's New York (the store just picked up her range of pillows) and Presmer was born.

— joyann king, Harper's BAZAAR, "Python Pleasures at Even More Pleasurable Prices," 4 Nov. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hobo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.