hoboes

noun

variants also hobos
plural of hobo
as in beggars
a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living kind folks who always gave hoboes who came to the farm a meal and then sent them on their way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hoboes The former, in which Burnett and Hamilton did a song-and-dance routine as Dust Bowl-era hobos, marked the first of several times that the two performed together. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 From oversized, slouchy hobos to structured East-West silhouettes and laptop-ready work totes, this season’s best suede bags deliver a luxurious polish that will elevate every fall wardrobe. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoboes
  1. beggars
  2. tramps
  3. bums
  4. vagrants
  5. vagabonds
Noun
  • The War In times of peace, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) had hosted parties in their palace for all — even beggars were welcome.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Gobert was chief among the beggars imploring his teammates for a shred of consistency on that end of the floor.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of beggars
Noun
  • The scene inspired future comedy gags showing drifters and tramps losing their pants to dogs chasing them.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Told in a lingua franca of philosophy and academic jargon, Lucky’s speech has something to do with the collapse of reason and logic, and the futility of human progress, which is ultimately what tramps Estragon (Reeves) and Vladimir (Winter) are up against, too.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of tramps
Noun
  • The Coliseum stayed in business for 500 years, bums in seats twice a week, watching people hack each other to death.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • History buffs, avid hikers, music lovers, wine aficionados, and beach bums will all find a town to love in the Old Dominion.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
Definition of bums
Noun
  • In August, Denver fined GFI $140,000 for letting the building become a magnet for vandals, vagrants and urban explorers who trespass and post videos on TikTok.
    — Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 9 July 2026
  • Sadly, the reason bus shelters are disappearing is that the city does not wish to provide seating for homeless people or other kinds of vagrants who may congregate there.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
Definition of vagrants
Noun
  • Decades before his lens moved between nocturnal vagabonds in the East Village and names such as Diana Vreeland, William Burroughs, and Fran Lebowitz, the young man realized the power of his eye.
    — Osman Can Yerebakan, Air Mail, 2 May 2026
  • There are no talking-head interviews putting addiction into a moral context, nor are there romanticized vagabonds.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Dec. 2025
Definition of vagabonds

Browse Nearby Words

hoboed
hoboes
hoboing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoboes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoboes. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hoboes

Nglish: Translation of hoboes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All