Meanings
nounstreet urchin (plural street urchins)
plural street urchins
- UKdatedA child who lives, or spends most of their time, in the streets; sometimes a petty thief or pickpocket.
She ran to the door and there beheld the ragged street urchin calmly playing his organ.
1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 841 more example
On many occasions, groups of street urchins were seen climbing up large trees for squabs of Rose-ringed Parakeets[.]
2020, Raju Kasambe, Indian Grey Hornbill: Unravelling the Secrets, page 94Synonyms: gamin, guttersnipe, street child, street kid
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA child who lives, or spends most of their time, in the streets; sometimes a petty thief or pickpocket.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna child who spends most of their time in the streets especially in slum areas
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
First use appears c. 1827 in a publication by Thomas Carlyle.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans straatkind
- straatkindchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Bulgarian гамен, уличник
- гамен (gamen)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- уличник (uličnik)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
Danish gadebarn
- gadebarnchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Dutch straatkind, straatjongen
- straatkindchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- straatjongenchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Esperanto bubo
- bubochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Finnish katulapsi
- katulapsichild living or spending most of their time in the streets
French gamin, gamine
- gaminchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- gaminechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- enfant des rueschild living or spending most of their time in the streets
German Straßenkind, Straßenjunge
- Straßenkindchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- Straßenjungechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Greek χαμίνι, αλάνι
- χαμίνι (chamíni)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- αλάνι (aláni)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
Hungarian utcagyerek, utcakölyök
- utcagyerekchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- utcakölyökchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Indonesian anak jalanan
- anak jalananchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Italian ragazzo di strada, monello
- ragazzo di stradachild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- monellochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- discolochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- lazzaronechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- ladruncolochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- borsaiolochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Latin cicarö
- cicaröchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Polish ulicznik
- ulicznikchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Portuguese criança de rua, menino de rua
- criança de ruachild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- menino de ruachild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- pivetechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Romanian copil al străzii
- copil al străziichild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Russian у́личный мальчи́шка, оборва́нец
- у́личный мальчи́шка (úličnyj malʹčíška)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- оборва́нец (oborvánec)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- беспризо́рник (besprizórnik)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- беспризорница (besprizornica)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
Spanish niño de la calle, niño callejero
- niño de la callechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- niño callejerochild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- gamínchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Swedish gatubarn, rännstensunge
- gatubarnchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- rännstensungechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Tagalog batang kalye
- batang kalyechild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Turkish sokak çocuğu, göbel
- sokak çocuğuchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
- göbelchild living or spending most of their time in the streets
Yiddish גאַסןיונג, גראָבער־יונג
- גאַסןיונג (gasnyung)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
- גראָבער־יונג (grober-yung)child living or spending most of their time in the streets
Cite this entry
APA
street urchin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20urchin
MLA
“street urchin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20urchin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “street urchin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20urchin.
Source: street urchin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.