What does "vagrant" mean?
A person who wanders from place to place; a nomad, a wanderer.
Vagrant
/ˈveɪɡɹənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who wanders from place to place; a nomad, a wanderer.
- Grammar: vagrant is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: drifter, aberrant, aberrative, adrift.
- Useful contrasts: fixed, homeowner, law-abiding citizen.
- Usage evidence: Police say he got the boys from the South Pattaya pier area where there are a lot of vagrant children.
How to use "vagrant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vagrant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "vagrant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "vagrant" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vagrant" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "vagrant" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "drifter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "vagrant", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who wanders from place to place; a nomad, a wanderer. dated
- 2 a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support wordnet
- 3 A person without settled employment or habitation who usually supports himself or herself by begging or some dishonest means; a tramp, a vagabond. specifically
"Every morning before work, I see that poor vagrant around the neighbourhood begging for food."
- 4 Vagrans egista, a widely distributed Asian butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
- 5 An animal, typically a bird, found outside its species' usual range. especially
Adjective
- 1 Wandering from place to place, particularly when without any settled employment or habitation.
"a vagrant beggar"
- 2 Of or pertaining to a vagabond or vagrant, or a person fond of wandering.
- 3 Moving without a certain direction; roving, wandering; also, erratic, unsettled. figuratively
"Let Prudence yet obſtruct thy venturous way; / And take good heed, what men will think and ſay: / That beauteous Emma vagrant courſes took; / Her father's houſe and civil life forſook; / That, full of youthful blood, and fond of man; / She to the wood-land with an exile ran."
Adjective
- 1 continually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another wordnet
Example
"Police say he got the boys from the South Pattaya pier area where there are a lot of vagrant children."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vagrant"?
Common synonyms include: drifter, aberrant, aberrative, adrift, afloat, aimless.
How do you use "vagrant" in a sentence?
Police say he got the boys from the South Pattaya pier area where there are a lot of vagrant children.
How do you pronounce "vagrant"?
Pronounced /ˈveɪɡɹənt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Late Middle English vagraunt (“person without proper employment; person without a fixed abode, tramp, vagabond”) [and other forms], probably from Anglo-Norman vagarant, wakerant, waucrant (“vagrant”) [and other forms] and Old French walcrant, waucrant (“roaming, wandering”) [and other forms], perhaps influenced by Latin vagārī, the present active infinitive of vagor (“to ramble, stroll about; to roam, rove, wander”). Old French walcrant is the present participle of vagrer, wacrer, walcrer (“to wander, wander about as a vagabond”) [and other forms], from Frankish *walkrōn (“to wander about”), the frequentative form of *walkōn (“to walk; to wander; to stomp, trample; to full (make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating and pressing)”), from Proto-Germanic *walkōną (“to roll about, wallow; to full”), *walkaną (“to turn, wind; to toss; to roll, roll about; to wend; to walk; to wander; to trample; to full”), from Proto-Indo-European *walg-, *walk-, *welgʰ-, *welk-, *wolg- (“to turn, twist; to move”), ultimately from *welH- (“to turn; to wind”). The English word is cognate with Latin valgus (“bandy-legged, bow-legged”), Middle Dutch walken (“to knead; to full”), Old English wealcan (“to roll”), ġewealcan (“to go; to walk about”), Old High German walchan, walkan (“to move up and down; to press together; to full; to walk; to wander”), Old Norse valka (“to wander”). See further at walk.
Etymology 2
From Middle English vagraunt, vagaraunt (“having no proper employment; having a tendency to go astray or wander; wayward”), from Anglo-Norman vagarant, wakerant, waucrant (“vagrant”) and Old French walcrant, waucrant (“roaming, wandering”); see further at etymology 1.