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Glite Dictionary
loiterer

loiterer

2 5.3
A person who stands or walks in a public place without a clear purpose
  • noun
  • /ˈlɔɪtərər/
translation icon : merodeador
  • They came and got him, this old major, shouting from his porch, just a few loiterers and one aimless millionaire across the street raking his yard, listening to him.
  • loiterers milling in front

Examples

  • They say that without the patrol officer, it's hard to get police to help with everyday problems like loiterers and drug dealers.

    Blog text (27)

  • Quick description from Amazon: "A flaneur is a stroller, a loiterer, someone who ambles through a city without apparent purpose but is secretly attuned to the history of the place and in covert search of adventure, esthetic or erotic.

    Blog text (22)

  • Instead of trying to save face... I saw that guy that they were after, that loiterer.

    Far from Heaven (2002)

  • Don't be calling me no loiterer.

    The Power of Few (2013)

  • Didn't have my phone, which these days makes you seem even more of a loiterer, even more of a creep.

  • They are waiting nervously for the ticket holders to clear the turnstiles, the last loose cluster of fans, the stragglers and loiterers.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Erin Drinkwater walked briskly, exuding excitement and authority, corralling the loiterers as they moved on to other party locations.

    Blog text (4)

  • He asks how law is given meaning by the convict sent off to await execution, by the welfare mother told that she no longer qualifies for state assistance, by people like Mrs. Palsgraf, or by the homeless man branded as a loiterer and told to move on.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The park was filled with loiterers who seemed to have no reason to be there.

  • A group of loiterers gathered outside the store, chatting and watching people pass by.

Synonyms

lingerer
vsloiterer
1 7.7

A person who stays in a place longer than needed without a good reason

focuses on standing or moving about without purpose, often in public
lounger
vsloiterer
1 5.8

A person who often rests and does very little

is about purposeless standing or moving rather than lazy passivity
moper
vsloiterer
7.9

A person who moves slowly and wanders without purpose

includes standing still as well as aimless movement in public places
rester
vsloiterer
7.4

A person who stays behind when others leave

often implies standing or moving without clear purpose in public, not merely staying behind

Antonyms

worker
600 1.0

A person employed to do physical or routine jobs

doer
40 3.5

A person who takes action to finish tasks

How Aimless

idler
  • Offensive
2 7.0
loiterer
2 5.3
bystander
84 3.4
passerby
  • US
12 3.3

Surface Forms

loiterer singular
loiterers plural

Morphology

loiterer = loiter (transparent) = loiter + er

An obvious agentive formation from the verb 'loiter' using the productive suffix -er; the meaning 'person who loiters' is directly derived.

Etymology

Loiterer comes from the old verb loiter, which meant 'to delay' or 'move slowly'. So a loiterer is someone who 'hangs around' or waits with no clear purpose.