homeless

adjective

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

Examples of homeless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The assault prompted Santa Monica Police Chief Ramon Batista to deploy its homeless liaison team, a group of police officers and mental health clinicians who engage the unhoused, as well as the therapeutic transport team, which responds to nonemergency calls in the city. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Tracy Kidder’s portrait of a doctor and his homeless patients offers personhood to people many Americans have trained themselves not to see. Jason Deparle, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2024 Proceeds from the thrift shop will support the church and its schools, and the donation of goods to local homeless and animal ministries. Andrea Manes, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2024 As a result, governments throughout California have housed high-risk homeless individuals in hotels and motels through a program called Project Roomkey. Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 Some people become homeless or grow sicker while waiting for an initial decision on an application, which took an average of over seven months in 2023, according to a letter signed by dozens of members of Congress. Fred Clasen-Kelly, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 To pay for these services, Mahan is once again pushing to reallocate funds from Measure E — a real estate transfer tax approved by voters in 2020 and meant to fund housing for low-income and homeless residents. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 Following sporadic rainstorms in the subsequent years, severe winter flooding in 1978 claimed 10 lives and left thousands homeless. Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Latest case of homeless shelter contract fraud in NYC highlights schemes across the nation. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homeless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near homeless

Cite this Entry

“Homeless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeless. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

homeless

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

More from Merriam-Webster on homeless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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