homeless
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
people who do not have a home, spoken about as a group.
a collective noun referring to people who lack permanent housing. It is always used with the definite article 'the' and takes a plural verb.
Simple“The city opened a new shelter to help the homeless find a safe place to sleep.”
In context“Advocacy groups argue that simply providing beds for the homeless is insufficient without addressing the underlying causes of housing insecurity.”
UsageAlways used as 'the homeless' to refer to the group.
Teacher's tipWhile 'the homeless' is common in journalism, many modern style guides prefer 'people experiencing homelessness' to be more person-centred.
PitfallThere are many homelesses in this city. There are many homeless people in this city.You cannot use 'homeless' as a countable noun with an 's'. Use 'the homeless' for the group or 'homeless people' for individuals.
Synonymsthe unhoused
“The homeless charity runs a weekly event in Charing Cross, where volunteers hand out hot meals.”
“People who are homeless will also be more exposed to the sun.”
From Middle English homles, hamles, from Old English hāmlēas (“homeless”), equivalent to home + -less. Cognate with Dutch heemloos, Danish hjemløs (“homeless”), Swedish hemlös (“homeless”). Compare also German heimatlos (“homeless”), Icelandic heimilislaus (“homeless”), West Frisian dakleas (“homeless”, literally “having no roof, roofless”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.