plural hoboes also hobos
1
often disparaging; see usage paragraph below
: a usually very poor person who has no permanent residence and travels from place to place especially by furtively hopping (see hop entry 1 sense transitive 2) trains
It should be noted that much of the discussion about the park … involved whether a fence needed to be built around the park to discourage the hobos and tramps, who traveled along the railroad, from taking up residence in the park.—
Kevin Dayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff
also
: a migrant worker
Hoboes travel across the country by hopping onto trains (although other modes of transportation are also acceptable), but crucially they work for their living, performing seasonal labor and taking on odd jobs. —Marguerite Happe
Marguerite Happe 2
or less commonly hobo bag
: a large shoulder bag shaped like a pouch
To punctuate the all-blue outfit, the actress slung on an unstructured, oversized suede hobo, a practical antidote to the current craze for fanny packs and mini bags.—Edward Barsamian
Edward Barsamian
Usage of Hobo
Hobo functions as a neutral or positive self-descriptor. In general use, it is sometimes used disparagingly, but frequently the term carries positive connotations from its association with an adventurous life that is free of obligation.
The hobo never knows what is going to happen the next moment; hence, he lives only in the present moment. He has learned the futility of telic endeavor, and knows the delight of drifting along with the whimsicalities of Chance.
—Jack London
Jack London
I imagined a hobo's life would be a fine thing. I would sleep in haystacks and do exactly what I wanted all the time.
—Matthew Power
Matthew Power
hoboed; hoboing; hobos
: to live or travel in the manner of a hobo
Examples of hobo in a Sentence
Noun
kind folks who always gave hoboes who came to the farm a meal and then sent them on their way
Recent Examples on the Web
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
MakeMeChic Small Hobo Clutch Part hobo, part clutch, this red purse has a similar vibe to Lohan’s bag thanks to the front flap and fringe.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
From oversized, slouchy hobos to structured East-West silhouettes and laptop-ready work totes, this season’s best suede bags deliver a luxurious polish that will elevate every fall wardrobe.
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
On May 3, she was seen toting around the brand's slouchy black hobo bag with gunmetal hardware before switching to one of their smaller shoulder bags for a concert later that night.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hobo
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Noun
What Hicks longs to do, in the face of these multidirectional threats to life and liberty, is persuade April to run away with him, hitchhiking from Wisconsin to who knows where, like a pair of Depression-era hoboes, out of range of anyone who wishes them ill.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
MakeMeChic Small Hobo Clutch Part hobo, part clutch, this red purse has a similar vibe to Lohan’s bag thanks to the front flap and fringe.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
From oversized, slouchy hobos to structured East-West silhouettes and laptop-ready work totes, this season’s best suede bags deliver a luxurious polish that will elevate every fall wardrobe.
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
On May 3, she was seen toting around the brand's slouchy black hobo bag with gunmetal hardware before switching to one of their smaller shoulder bags for a concert later that night.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hobo
Cite this Entry
“Hobo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobo. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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