noun
homeless person
HOHM-luhss PUR-suhn
Homeless person (noun) means someone who has no permanent home, whether they are sleeping outdoors, staying in a shelter or hostel, or moving between temporary places to stay. Example: “A homeless person had been sheltering in the doorway all week.”
noun
1
Someone who has no permanent home, whether they are sleeping outdoors, staying in a shelter or hostel, or moving between temporary places to stay.
"A homeless person had been sheltering in the doorway all week."
"She was legally classed as a homeless person even though she had a room at her sister's."
How to use homeless person
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone with nowhere permanent to live.
When to use it
Neutral, though person-first wording is preferred in social work and policy writing.
Memory tip
Vagrant and tramp are old-fashioned and insulting; use homeless person or rough sleeper instead.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a homeless person
homeless person on the street
registered as a homeless person
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Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ had been sheltering in the doorway all week.
Synonyms
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rough sleeper
unhoused person
person experiencing homelessness
Related words
Rhymes for homeless person
person
Gerson
Emerson
Pierson
Iverson
Anderson
Paterson
Peterson
Amberson
Jefferson
Henderson
Patterson
See all rhymes for homeless person →
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a homeless person and a rough sleeper?
A rough sleeper is someone sleeping outdoors — in a doorway, a tent or a vehicle. A homeless person is anyone without a settled home, which includes rough sleepers but also people in hostels, emergency housing or sofa-surfing. Most homeless people are not rough sleepers.
Is homeless person the right term to use?
It is standard and neutral. Charities and public bodies increasingly prefer person experiencing homelessness, to stress that the situation is a circumstance rather than an identity. Avoid a homeless, used as a noun, which is not idiomatic.
What is the difference between homeless and houseless?
Houseless is a newer term used by some advocates to make the point that a person may have a community and belongings but no physical shelter, while home implies more than a building. In practice the two describe the same situation, and homeless is far more widely understood.
What is the meaning of homeless person?
"homeless person" (noun) means someone who has no permanent home, whether they are sleeping outdoors, staying in a shelter or hostel, or moving between temporary places to stay.
