Meanings
plural clochards
- A beggar or tramp, especially in France.
‘Those clochards in Cannes, mostly old soixante-huitards. They see a tribute to modern industrial genius and can't resist giving it a swift kick.’
2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 921 more example
He nearly fell over the Pont Neuf, enjoyed the conversation and esteem of several hairy clochards, and was finally knocked down by a taxi in the Place Vendôme […]
1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 492
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchclochard
- Frenchclochard
- Englishclochard
Borrowed from French clochard.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
clochard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clochard
“clochard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clochard. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clochard,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clochard.
Source: clochard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.