homeless

1 of 2

adjective

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

homelessness

2 of 2

noun

home·​less·​ness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being homeless

Examples of homeless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The meetings took place less than two weeks after twin earthquakes devastated north-central Venezuela, killing thousands and leaving tens of thousands homeless. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026 Antioch has no emergency shelter for homeless residents, requiring them to travel to other cities such as Richmond. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 More than 18,000 people remained homeless following the disaster. — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 7 July 2026 During this recent Code Red, however, all 311 calls about homeless welfare were automatically being rerouted to 911, Coleman says. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for homeless

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1814, 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 9 Jul. 2026.

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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

Nglish: Translation of homeless for Spanish Speakers

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