waifs
/weɪfs/
NOUN
1. Homeless or abandoned children
Children who are homeless, abandoned, neglected, or left without proper care and protection.
1.1. Homeless and abandoned children
Children who lack a stable home or parental care and may have to survive on the streets or depend on charitable support.
Synonyms
- orphans
- foundlings
- urchins
- ragamuffins
- street children
Examples
- The charitable organization focused on providing care and support for homeless waifs.
- The kind-hearted woman opened her home to waifs, offering them a place of safety and belonging.
Related Words
- abandoned children
- homeless children
- foster children
- runaways
NOUN
2. Destitute and homeless people
People who are extremely poor, homeless, or without reliable means of support.
2.1. Poor and homeless individuals
People living in poverty or without permanent shelter, often relying on begging, charity, or assistance from others.
Synonyms
- beggars
- bums
- clochards
- down-and-outs
- down-and-outers
- hoboes
- hobos
- indigents
- mendicants
- paupers
- tramps
- vagrants
- derelicts
Examples
- In the heart of the city, one could often find waifs seeking refuge in makeshift shelters.
- Passersby noticed a group of waifs huddled together, seeking warmth in the cold night.
Related Words
- destitute people
- the impoverished
- the needy
- the disadvantaged
2.2. People dependent on others for support
People who habitually rely on others for money, food, shelter, or other necessities rather than supporting themselves.
Synonyms
- dependents
- hangers-on
- leeches
- moochers
- parasites
- spongers
- sponges
- deadbeats
Examples
- The shelter provided meals and temporary accommodation for waifs who had nowhere else to turn.
Related Words
- freeloaders
- beneficiaries
- charity recipients
- financial dependents
NOUN
3. Wandering and displaced people
People who move from place to place without a permanent home or settled destination.
3.1. Wanderers without permanent homes
People who travel or drift from one place to another without a fixed residence or stable living arrangements.
Synonyms
Examples
- The novelist wrote a touching story about the resilience of waifs overcoming adversity.
Related Words
NOUN
4. Plants outside their native range
Plants introduced to an area beyond their natural geographic range that have not become persistently naturalized.
4.1. Non-naturalized introduced plants
Plants that appear outside their native geographic range through accidental or deliberate introduction but do not establish a persistent, self-sustaining population.
Synonyms
- casual alien plants
- casual species
Related Words
- introduced plants
- non-native species
- adventive plants
- naturalized plants
NOUN
5. Unclaimed or ownerless goods
Goods that have been found or abandoned and whose rightful owner is unknown or cannot be identified.
5.1. Found goods without known owners
Lost or abandoned property discovered without an identifiable owner and potentially subject to legal rules governing unclaimed goods.
Synonyms
- unclaimed goods
- lost property
- found property
- ownerless goods
Related Words
- abandoned property
- found belongings
- mislaid goods
- lost possessions
NOUN
6. Things without owners or found by chance
Objects or things that are ownerless, abandoned, or discovered unexpectedly without an apparent owner.
6.1. Ownerless or abandoned objects
Things that have been discarded, left behind, or have no identifiable owner.
Synonyms
- strays
- castaways
Related Words
- discarded objects
- abandoned belongings
- lost items
- unclaimed possessions