tramp
noun /træmp/
/træmp/
- (also hobo)[countable] a person with no home or job who travels from place to place, usually asking people in the street for food or money
- An old tramp was sitting on a bench.
Culture homelessnesshomelessnessA number of people in Britain and the US are homeless (= have nowhere to live). Many are forced to sleep on the streets (BrE also sleep rough or be a rough sleeper) because they have nowhere else to go. In the past, people who had no permanent home were called tramps or vagrants. Most were older people. Now, many younger people, and even families with small children, are homeless.Homeless people sleep in shop doorways, under bridges, or anywhere they can find away from the wind and rain. In Britain, the alternative to sleeping rough is to try to find a bed in a hostel or night shelter.In Britain, local councils are required by law to find somewhere for homeless families to live, and many families are housed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Charities such as Shelter, Centrepoint and the Salvation Army provide help and advice and run hostels for the homeless. Each winter around Christmas, they also organize campaigns which raise money to provide extra night shelters and soup kitchens (= places giving free hot food).In the US many towns have laws making it illegal to sleep on the streets, so the police may tell people to move during the night. The US also has shelters but it is not easy to get a bed in one. Many do not have enough space, or have only enough money to stay open for part of the year. They are often away from the centre of town, people need to have money for the bus to get there and some homeless people do not feel safe in them.For many people, homelessness begins when they lose their jobs and cannot pay their rent. Some become homeless as a result of family arguments, broken relationships, violence, and mental illness. Some homeless people survive by begging (= asking for money). In Britain homeless people are able to make some money by selling The Big Issue magazine: they buy copies of the magazine and sell them at a higher, fixed price to members of the public. There are similar publications in the US, but they are less popular.Many people give to charities, or to homeless people on the streets, but some think they are responsible for their own situation. Americans generally believe that people should work hard to help themselves, instead of taking money from the government. For that reason, many Americans will give money to charities, but are opposed to a system of government benefits. But homeless people who have no address have difficulty getting the limited kinds of help available from the government.Topics Social issuesc1 - [singular] the tramp of somebody/something the sound of somebody’s heavy steps
- the tramp of marching feet
- [countable, usually singular] a long walk synonym trek
- We had a long tramp home.
- (North American English, old-fashioned, disapproving) a woman who has many sexual partners
Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb): probably of Low German origin. The noun dates from the mid 17th cent.