vagabond 1 of 3

noun

ˈva-gə-ˌbänd How to pronounce vagabond (audio)
Definition of vagabondnext
1
as in hobo
a homeless wanderer who may beg or steal for a living be wary of the vagabonds in that corner of the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination after they retired, the couple bought an RV and became footloose vagabonds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

vagabond

2 of 3

adjective

as in nomadic
traveling from place to place a vagabond group of entertainers that performed in rough-and-tumble mining towns

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

vagabond

3 of 3

verb

as in to tramp

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vagabond
Noun
Astronomers reckon there could be a whole bunch of these vagabond rogue planets out there, maybe as many as 21 for every star in our Milky Way galaxy. — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 21 Mar. 2026 Long the purview of vagabond surfers, its coastline is peppered with small towns, like Venao, Guanico, and Cambutal, that are in various stages of being reshaped by bohemian expats. — David Amsden, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The coaches are no different—and have been vagabond for longer. — Max Olson, The Athletic, 12 July 2024 There are records of albatrosses spending decades living as vagabond singletons in the wrong hemisphere, Lees said. — Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2021
Verb
The jam band scene – long reigned over by groups like the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band – exploded in the Nineties as newer artists like Phish and Widespread Panic began filling arenas and fomenting their own rabid vagabonding fanbases. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2025 In 1978, Wenner sold the magazine to Larry Burke, a young man from Chicago who had spent a chunk of his twenties vagabonding around Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vagabond
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vagabond
  1. hobo
  2. nomad
  3. nomadic
  4. tramp
  5. beggar
  6. wanderer
  7. bum
  8. traveler
Noun
  • Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.
    — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • From feeding hobos on the back porch in the night in the Great Depression to marching against wars for oil in the Eighties and Nineties.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hobo
Noun
  • This affordable tiny house prioritizes compactness and portability, and would suit nomads and those who don't need a lot of extra space.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Former nomads lost much of their lands, animals, and way of life.
    — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of nomad
Adjective
  • Years ago, Maximilian Schnell left his job and his life in Paris and began a nomadic lifestyle on his bicycle.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Some are cousins of the Belâawane family and many, like our head mule handler, Zaïd Oukhazaid, have reluctantly abandoned their nomadic ways for permanent village life for a variety of reasons, including climate change.
    — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of nomadic
Verb
  • Plant-eating dinos that looked like huge, armored lizards left those footprints while tramping near the coastline of a vast Western Interior Seaway that extended into Colorado.
    — Kristen Kidd, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Days or weeks passed, but then the dog barked, the mail carrier tramped onto the porch, the mailbox clattered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of tramp
Noun
  • Dhaka’s rundown streets peppered with the homeless, vendors and child beggars.
    — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Robert Pattinson’s big outburst in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ has gone viral—here’s the ‘beggars’ meme, explained.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of beggar
Noun
  • Connecting with this odd population of wanderers is one of the surprise pleasures of our annual Bishop trip.
    — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026
  • My eight women are divided into wanderers, rebels, explorers, and mentors.
    — Anne E. Fernald, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of wanderer
Noun
  • Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.
    — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The silhouette was heavily elongated, with three-quarter-length jackets and argyle knitwear that covered the bum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • Torrey attributes his great interest in collecting to his grandparents who were serious travelers.
    — Gay Gassmann, Architectural Digest, 19 Oct. 2026
  • During the repairs, travelers going to and from Clarksburg will be directed through West Sacramento to the north or via Highway 160 and the Paintersville Bridge to the south.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of traveler

Browse Nearby Words

vacuums
vagabond
vagabonded
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Cite this Entry

“Vagabond.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vagabond. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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