What does "loiterer" mean?
One who loiters, one who lingers or hangs around.
Loiterer
noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who loiters, one who lingers or hangs around.
- Grammar: loiterer is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: clock watcher, criminal lurker, dallier, dawdle.
- Useful contrasts: doer, go-getter, lawful passerby.
- Usage evidence: I travelled to Amsterdam on my own with a big backpack. The quaint canals and the tree-lined streets always make a good photographic theme. There were lots of Indonesian restaurants there. Inside that labyrinth was my hotel, Hotel Kabul. I met an Egyptian traveller there. At a place of many pigeons, I asked a bespectacled South Asian loiterer to take my picture amongst the birds that he was feeding. I visited the Sex Museum. I just liked walking around, looking at the antique buildings. There were a lot of bicyclists. Long ago, in grade school in Canada, I wrote a geography report about the Netherlands, and I learned about their engineering feats of reclaiming land from the water and, of course, the tulips.
How to use "loiterer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "loiterer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "loiterer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "loiterer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "loiterer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "loiterer" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clock watcher" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "loiterer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who loiters, one who lingers or hangs around.
"Though unusual in the Dublin area he knew that it was not by any means unknown for desperadoes who had next to nothing to live on to be abroad waylaying and generally terrorising peaceable pedestrians by placing a pistol at their head in some secluded spot outside the city proper, famished loiterers of the Thames embankment category they might be hanging about there or simply marauders ready to decamp with whatever boodle they could in one fell swoop at a moment's notice, your money or your life, leaving you there to point a moral, gagged and garrotted."
- 2 someone who lingers aimlessly in or about a place wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I travelled to Amsterdam on my own with a big backpack. The quaint canals and the tree-lined streets always make a good photographic theme. There were lots of Indonesian restaurants there. Inside that labyrinth was my hotel, Hotel Kabul. I met an Egyptian traveller there. At a place of many pigeons, I asked a bespectacled South Asian loiterer to take my picture amongst the birds that he was feeding. I visited the Sex Museum. I just liked walking around, looking at the antique buildings. There were a lot of bicyclists. Long ago, in grade school in Canada, I wrote a geography report about the Netherlands, and I learned about their engineering feats of reclaiming land from the water and, of course, the tulips."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "loiterer"?
Common synonyms include: clock watcher, criminal lurker, dallier, dawdle, dawdler, dawdler.
How do you use "loiterer" in a sentence?
I travelled to Amsterdam on my own with a big backpack. The quaint canals and the tree-lined streets always make a good photographic theme. There were lots of Indonesian restaurants there. Inside that labyrinth was my hotel, Hotel Kabul. I met an Egyptian traveller there. At a place of many pigeons, I asked a bespectacled South Asian loiterer to take my picture amongst the birds that he was feeding. I visited the Sex Museum. I just liked walking around, looking at the antique buildings. There were a lot of bicyclists. Long ago, in grade school in Canada, I wrote a geography report about the Netherlands, and I learned about their engineering feats of reclaiming land from the water and, of course, the tulips.
Etymology
From loiter + -er.