hobo
Americannoun
plural
hobos, hoboes-
a tramp or vagrant.
-
a migratory worker.
noun
-
a tramp; vagrant
-
a migratory worker, esp an unskilled labourer
Other Word Forms
- hoboism noun
Etymology
Origin of hobo
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; origin uncertain
Explanation
Be careful when you call a vagrant or homeless person a hobo — although this is exactly what the word means, it is a somewhat offensive term. The end of the nineteenth century brought the start of the word hobo in the Western United States. No one is certain where the word came from, although there are a couple of educated guesses. One possible origin is the English word hawbuck, which means "country bumpkin," while another is the common working man's greeting or call during the building of the railroads in the West, ho, boy!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As an adult, I’ve tried to will myself back into enthrallment with this plucky heroine who repels a scary hobo, bravely goes without food and saves a poor Italian immigrant when others are against her.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Yes, it wasn't a boy; it was a little girl, but I couldn't tell because she was dressed like a hobo.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023
The trilogy includes “The Areas of My Expertise,” a book that contains, among other things, a list of 700 hobo names.
From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2023
Fred Ward’s lonesome hobo face has turned up in enough films to make him a familiar figure to American moviegoers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2022
We’d run, terrified, along the hobo paths, over the trestle, and through the streets.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
