beach bum

noun

, Informal.

1. an idle person who habitually spends time on or near a beach.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beach bum¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Depending on the lighting and whether his hair and beard were neatly trimmed, he could pass for anything from a thirtysomething Middle Eastern businessman to a midfifties South American beach bum.

From Literature

Anyone who doubts Snoop Dogg’s parrothead bona fides should watch him in Harmony Korine’s “The Beach Bum.”

From Los Angeles Times

Audiences delighted in the personality of Judge Lance Ito and the beach bum mien of witness Kato Kaelin.

From Los Angeles Times

Singer-songwriter popularized beach bum soft rock with “Margaritaville” and turned a celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions.

From Seattle Times

The singer-songwriter who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions.

From Washington Times