vagabond
/ˈvæɡ.ə.bɒnd/ (bre, ipa) · [vˈæɡəbɑnd] /ˈvæɡ.ə.bɑːnd/ (ame, ipa) · [vˈæɡəbɑnd] /ˈva-gə-ˌbänd How to pronounce vagabond (audio)/ (ame, mw)
vagabond — noun
- vagabondsingular
- vagabondsplural
1. A person who moves around with no permanent home or regular job, surviving outsi
A person who moves around with no permanent home or regular job, surviving outside the normal structures of settled society and often viewed with distrust or pity.
Each morning the old vagabond washed his face in the river and made tea over a small fire.
countable noun: a/the vagabond + physical description
Nikhil met a friendly vagabond near the station who showed him how to find free food at the market.
In the nineteenth century, cities passed laws that allowed police to arrest vagabonds and put them in workhouses.
The novel follows a young vagabond named Kian as he walks through villages selling handmade knives.
Vagabonds were once a common sight on country roads, carrying everything they owned on their backs.
- settled resident
Someone with a fixed home and stable community ties
- homeowner
A person who owns their home, implying stability and roots
文法句型
vagabond + verb
a/the vagabond
用法筆記
This noun often carries a negative or pitying tone. In modern use, 'homeless person' or 'person experiencing homelessness' is preferred in official or respectful contexts.
常見錯誤
vagabond — adjective
- vagabondpositive
- more vagabondcomparative
- most vagabondsuperlative
1. Having no settled home and constantly moving from one place to another, often wi
Having no settled home and constantly moving from one place to another, often with no clear plan or destination beyond the next day's travel.
A band of vagabond musicians travelled through the countryside, sleeping in barns and playing for coins.
attributive: vagabond + noun (musicians) describing a wandering group
Ada traded her apartment keys for a vagabond existence on a sailboat along the coast of Brazil.
A vagabond storyteller named Rachid walked from village to village, earning meals by telling tales around the fire.
Haruto's vagabond childhood meant he had attended twelve different schools before he turned fifteen.
The circus was a vagabond community that packed up its tents every month and moved to a new town.
文法句型
vagabond + noun (usually lifestyle, existence, or a type of person/group)
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive position). The adjective describes a condition of constant movement rather than a personality flaw — compare with sense 3 for the negative judgment.
常見錯誤
2. Having the appearance, style, or atmosphere associated with a person who travels
Having the appearance, style, or atmosphere associated with a person who travels without a fixed home — often deliberately ragged, mismatched, or worn in a romantic or artistic way.
Reuben wore a vagabond coat with patches on the elbows and a bright red scarf tied around his bag.
appearance: vagabond coat (worn, patched clothing)
The café had a vagabond charm, with mismatched chairs and old maps pinned to the walls.
Amira loved the vagabond look of the old caravan, painted in bright colours and covered in dust.
The market had a vagabond feel — blankets on the ground, sellers calling in many languages.
The director wanted a vagabond quality in the costumes — torn edges, mixed patterns, and worn leather boots.
- bohemian
More specific to an artistic, unconventional lifestyle; less about homelessness
- ramshackle
Describes things that look broken-down or loosely put together
- wanderer's
A simpler alternative (wanderer's cloak) that avoids the literary tone
文法句型
vagabond + noun (appearance, style, quality)
用法筆記
This sense is often positive or romantic, used to describe a deliberately rustic, free-spirited, or artistic style — unlike sense 3, which carries a negative judgment.
常見錯誤
3. Describing a way of living that lacks steady work, consistent commitments, or re
Describing a way of living that lacks steady work, consistent commitments, or responsible behaviour — often used to criticise someone as unreliable or disreputable.
The landlord called Quan a vagabond tenant because he left without paying the last two months' rent.
negative judgment: vagabond tenant + specific wrongdoing
Léa's vagabond uncle disappeared for years and never sent money to support his children.
Iker's vagabond habits made it almost impossible for him to keep any job for more than a few weeks.
The newspaper described the politician as a vagabond figure who avoided every form of responsibility.
Quan's vagabond reputation meant no one trusted him with important tasks or large sums of money.
- irresponsible
More direct and common; lacks the poetic tone but is clearer
- unreliable
Focuses on trust and dependability rather than movement
- shiftless
Old-fashioned; describes someone who lacks ambition or initiative
- responsible
Reliable and trustworthy in commitments
- dependable
Consistent and steady in behaviour and obligations
- stable
Having a settled, predictable pattern of life
文法句型
vagabond + noun (life, habits, ways, reputation)
用法筆記
Strongly negative in tone. Unlike sense 1 (which describes physical wandering) and sense 2 (which describes a romantic style), this sense judges a person's character as untrustworthy. It can sound old-fashioned or literary in modern conversation.
常見錯誤
vagabond — verb
- vagabondpresent simple I / you / we / they
- vagabonds3rd person singular
- vagabonding-ing form
- vagabondedpast simple
1. To travel around different places with no fixed route, home, or purpose beyond t
To travel around different places with no fixed route, home, or purpose beyond the act of moving itself — often implying a simple, low-cost way of living.
Bilal sold his furniture and decided to vagabond through Southeast Asia for a year.
verb pattern: vagabond + through + region
The teenagers vagabonded along the coast all summer, sleeping on beaches and eating fish from the market.
Paloma had vagabonded across three continents before she turned twenty-five, carrying only a single backpack.
During the 1930s, thousands of unemployed workers vagabonded across the country looking for any kind of job.
Imran and his brother vagabonded around the highlands for weeks, trading farm work for meals and shelter.
文法句型
vagabond + through/across/around + place
用法筆記
An uncommon verb in modern English. It appears mostly in literary writing or historical accounts. In everyday conversation, 'wander', 'roam', or 'travel around' are far more natural choices.