homeless

adjective

home·​less ˈhōm-ləs How to pronounce homeless (audio)
: having no home or permanent place of residence : unhoused
homelessness noun

Examples of homeless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
One of the people waiting in line is Ron Crowley, a homeless man living in Johnson County, holding a shopping bag filled with fruit and hygiene products. — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 Garden Homes plans a partnership with the nonprofit Housing Collective of Bridgeport, which connects homeless families with Section 8 aid and other housing vouchers. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026 Advocates for Baltimore's homeless community are calling on Maryland's General Assembly to investigate living conditions at several hotels the city purchased and turned into shelters. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust also relied on Solano to care for homeless seniors. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for homeless

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homeless was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing homeless

Browse Nearby Words

homeland
homeless
homelessness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Homeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeless. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

homeless

adjective
home·​less -ləs How to pronounce homeless (audio)
: having no home or permanent residence
homelessness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All