noun
hobo
HOH-boh
noun
1
A homeless person who travels from place to place, historically often by illegally hopping freight trains.
"During the Great Depression, many hobos rode the rails looking for work."
2
A large, slouchy handbag.
"She carried a brown leather hobo bag over one shoulder."
How to Use Hobo
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA wandering homeless traveler — or, separately, a slouchy style of handbag.
When to use it
The "homeless traveler" sense can be considered dated or mildly derogatory in modern use; "homeless person" is more neutral.
Word Forms
hoboed past tense, hobos plural, hoboes plural, hobos singular
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During the Great Depression, many _____ rode the rails looking for work.
Etymology
Origin unknown; possibly a contraction of "ho, boy" or linked to an old dialect word for a country bumpkin.