transient1 adjectivetransient2 noun
transienttran‧si‧ent1 /ˈtrænziənt $ ˈtrænʃənt/ adjective formal 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINtransient1
ExamplesOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin present participle of transire ‘to go across’, from ire ‘to go’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- transient pleasures
- Phoenix has a very transient population.
- Elevations of serum transaminase are usually transient and dose-related, but occasionally can indicate severe hepatotoxicity.
- Once the transient sleep problem has passed, stop taking the sleeping pills.
- The transient nature of speech does not permit editing of the speech signal.
- The cause is not transient but structural and deep-seated.
- The essentially transient regime left behind little but resentment and destruction.
- The grandchild's more numerous social connections are shallower, more transient and imbued with less moral content than the grandfather's.
- They list possible side effects as mild to moderate and transient.
- With further respiratory tract infections there remains a tendency to impaired hearing, but this is transient.
THESAURUS► temporary
1continuing only for a short time: continuing for only a limited period of time: · I’ve got a temporary office job, but I hope I’ll find something more permanent soon.· I’m sure the problem is only temporary.· temporary staff· a temporary visa
► provisional temporary – used especially about arrangements or information that people may decide to change in the future. Also used about licences or governments which are only arranged to last for a short time: · Does the hotel accept provisional bookings?· They have set a provisional date for the next meeting.· a provisional driving licence· In June, the rebels claimed to have formed a provisional government.· Provisional figures yesterday from the Department of Transport showed that 4,274 people were killed last year — 6 percent fewer than the previous year.
► stopgap [only before noun] temporary – used about something that you use for a short time until you can replace it with something better: · The Republicans will approve the one-month budget as a stopgap measure to keep the state operating.· This is only a stopgap solution to the country’s debt problem.
► passing [only before noun] temporary – used about an interest, thought, or feeling that is short and not very serious: · Tonight’s game will be exciting, even to those with only a passing interest in the sport.· As a student, I didn’t give working in finance even a passing thought.
► ephemeral formal existing or popular for only a short time: · the ephemeral beauty of white snow on green trees and bare branches· Many new words, particularly slang, are fleeting and ephemeral.
► transient formal continuing for only a limited time, or staying somewhere for only a short time – used especially to say that something is always changing, or people only stay somewhere for a short time: · the transient nature of life· transient changes in the electrical properties of the neurons· Arizona has a highly transient population.
transient fashions2working or staying somewhere for only a short time: a transient population—transience noun [uncountable]transient1 adjectivetransient2 noun
transienttransient2 noun [countable] ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Empty houses attract drug users and transients.
- Farther along the street was a transient who was carrying his belongings in a plastic bag.
- He had been living as a transient in San Diego for several years before his arrest.
- In such petty ways some revenge was taken on the wealthy transient.
- On Wednesday, Brown apologized for his outbursts and vowed to get tough on park transients.
- The king decreed that anyone who attempted to feed or house the eighty-six-year-old transient would be punished for their efforts.
Longman Language Activatorpeople who have no home to live in► the homeless
American English someone who has no home and moves around from place to place · We distribute food and blankets to the homeless on the streets of London.· There aren't enough places in short-stay hostels, so the homeless are reduced to sleeping in cardboard boxes.
► transient American someone who has no home or regular work: · Empty houses attract drug users and transients.· Farther along the street was a transient who was carrying his belongings in a plastic bag.
► bum American informal a person, usually a man, who has no home or regular job and asks people for money on the streets: · A couple of bums were passing a bottle in a doorway.
► bag-lady informal a woman with no home or job who carries all her possessions around with her in a bag: · A bag lady with a shopping cart was picking through the garbage for aluminum cans.
► tramp someone, especially a man, who has no home or job , and who often asks people for money to live: · An old tramp was sleeping under Waterloo Bridge, his coat wrapped tight to keep out the cold.
► vagrant especially written someone who has no home or regular work, and goes from place to place - used especially in legal or official contexts: · Our charity provides shelter, meals, and clothing for vagrants.· The number of vagrants is increasing because of the lack of affordable accommodation for rent in the capital.