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homeless

/ˈhoʊmləs/
/ˈhʌʊmləs/
IPA guide

Other forms: homelessly

If you're homeless, you don't have any place to live — you might be without a roof over your head, or even without a country to call your own. Refugees living in temporary camps because of civil war are homeless.

Homeless refugees aren't really citizens of any land, while other homeless people are in a more temporary bad spot, having lost their homes because of financial trouble, illness, or other bad luck. Sometimes the word homeless is used as a noun for a person in such a predicament, but it's more correct and thoughtful to use the word as an adjective — that way, a homeless person isn't solely defined by not having a home.

Definitions of homeless
  1. adjective
    without nationality or citizenship
    synonyms: stateless
    unsettled
    not settled or established
  2. adjective
    physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security
    synonyms: dispossessed, roofless
    unfortunate
    not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
  3. noun
    someone unfortunate without housing
    synonyms: homeless person
    see moresee less
    types:
    bag lady
    a homeless woman who carries all her possessions with her in shopping bags
    type of:
    unfortunate, unfortunate person
    a person who suffers misfortune
  4. noun
    poor people who unfortunately do not have a home to live in
    see moresee less
    type of:
    poor, poor people
    people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group)
Pronunciation
US
/ˈhoʊmləs/
UK
/ˈhʌʊmləs/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘homeless'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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