hobo
hobo Lexical Profile
hobo Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A migratory worker or homeless vagrant, especially one who travels from place to place by riding freight trains in search of temporary employment.
"During the Great Depression, many a destitute hobo rode the rails across the country looking for seasonal farm work."
A style of large, crescent-shaped shoulder bag made of soft, flexible material that slumps when set down.
"She slung a brown leather hobo over her shoulder before heading out to the market."
• verb
North American To wander or travel from place to place as a vagrant or migratory worker, especially by riding freight trains.
"In his youth, the novelist hoboed across the American West, gathering stories from the rail yards."
Word Nuance & Usage
In traditional American usage, a "hobo" travels to find work, whereas a "tramp" travels but avoids work, and a "bum" neither travels nor works.
• Rhymes for hobo
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the western United States in the late 1880s, of uncertain origin; proposed sources include the railroad greeting "ho, boy!" or the phrase "hoe-boy" referring to a migratory farmhand.