An urchin is a young child who is dirty and poorly dressed.
[old-fashioned]
We were in the bazaar with all the little urchins watching us.
Synonyms: ragamuffin, waif, guttersnipe, brat More Synonyms of urchin
2. See also sea urchin
urchin in British English
(ˈɜːtʃɪn)
noun
1.
a mischievous roguish child, esp one who is young, small, or raggedly dressed
2. sea urchin, heart urchin
3. an archaic or dialect name for a hedgehog
4.
either of the two cylinders in a carding machine that are covered with carding cloth
5. obsolete
an elf or sprite
Word origin
C13: urchon, from Old French heriçon, from Latin ēricius hedgehog, from ēr, related to Greek khēr hedgehog
urchin in American English
(ˈɜrtʃɪn)
noun
1. Archaic
a hedgehog
2.
sea urchin
3.
a small child, esp. a boy, who is poor, ragged, etc. and often mischievous or undisciplined
4. Obsolete
an elf
Word origin
ME irchoun < OFr heriçun < L ericius, hedgehog < er, hedgehog, for earlier *her < IE base *ĝher-, to bristle, be stiff > L horrere, to bristle, Gr chēr, porcupine
Examples of 'urchin' in a sentence
urchin
We must have seemed like little street urchins!
The Sun (2010)
How could a former street urchin know so much?
The Sun (2014)
He was only giving a description of the vile street urchins.
The Sun (2011)
And one local cooks her dish of pasta on the beach made with razor clams and sea urchins.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And one kindly local cooks her dish of pasta on the beach made with clams and sea urchins.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
My patient said that the element of danger heightened the arousing effect of the champagne and the sea urchin.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They complained about "the little street urchins" messing up the bathrooms and wondered if church property was being stolen.
Christianity Today (2000)
The first example includes organisms as diverse as viruses, fruit flies and sea urchins.
Hanssen, Maurice & Marsden, Jill E For Additives (1987)
Have your face painted, show off your colouring skills and meet fish and sea urchins.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They wanted a group photograph of themselves, and asked a local street urchin to take one.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
She said once she didn't want him being a street urchin.
Jan Fennell FRIENDS FOR LIFE (2003)
To begin with, you turned up in jeans and trainers and looked like a skinny little urchin.
The Sun (2012)
The street urchins had decided views on literary value, and they were always keen to hand on advice.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The thing I remember most was a mayonnaise flavoured with sea urchin.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We looked like street urchins, despite being quite well-off.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
She is 52, but still looks like an androgynous street urchin.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We write so often about South American street urchins turned brilliant footballers that it begins to sound clichéd.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
And with an album cover that shouts glam rather than street urchin, it seems that N-Dubz might have matured somewhat.
The Sun (2010)
This Disney gem tells the story of a street urchin who happens across a magic lamp, home to a genie with the ability to grant wishes.
The Sun (2014)
(noun)
Definition
a mischievous child
(old-fashioned)
We were in the bazaar with all the little urchins watching us.
Synonyms
ragamuffin
two ragamuffins with a torch
waif
an emaciated waif living rough on the streets
guttersnipe
a guttersnipe who wandered barefoot through the town
brat
He's a spoilt brat.
mudlark (slang)
gamin
young rogue
Additional synonyms
in the sense of brat
He's a spoilt brat.
Synonyms
youngster,
kid (informal),
urchin,
imp,
rascal,
spoilt child,
devil,
puppy (informal),
cub,
scallywag (informal),
whippersnapper,
guttersnipe
in the sense of gamin
Definition
a street urchin
Synonyms
(street) urchin,
waif,
ragamuffin,
mudlark (slang),
guttersnipe
in the sense of guttersnipe
Definition
a child who spends most of his or her time in the streets, usually in a slum area
a guttersnipe who wandered barefoot through the town