Nearby Words

hobo

[hoh-boh] Example Sentences Origin

ho·bo

[hoh-boh]
noun, plural -bos, -boes.
1.
a tramp or vagrant.
2.
a migratory worker.

Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; origin uncertain

ho·bo·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Hobo is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Example Sentences
  • Garfield reflects to the life the crude and confused young hobo who stumbles aimlessly into a fatal trap.
  • It smells not of fresh water but of hobo urine, slaughterhouses and factories.
  • His rise to geek fame through his unique humor and insight into tech and hobo matters is wrought with little controversy.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
hobo (ˈhəʊbəʊ)
 
n , pl -bos, -boes
1.  a tramp; vagrant
2.  a migratory worker, esp an unskilled labourer
 
[C19 (US): origin unknown]
 
'hoboism
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hobo
1889, Western Amer.Eng., of unknown origin, perhaps related to early 19c. Eng. dial. hawbuck "lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin." Or from ho, boy, a workers' call on late 19c. western U.S. railroads. Hence facetious formation hobohemia "community or life of hobos," 1923 (see bohemian).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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