stalker

American  

[staw-ker] / ˈstɔ kər /

noun

• stalkers
  plural

1. a person who pursues game, prey, or a person stealthily.

2. a person who harasses another person, as a former lover, a famous person, etc., in an aggressive, often threatening and illegal manner.

   Hollywood stars often have security guards to keep dangerous stalkers at bay.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stalkers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of stalker

stalk ² (verb) + -er ¹

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Explanation

You might joke about your neighborhood stalker who always seems to know where you've been and what time you get home from work every day, but it can actually be a little creepy to know that someone's watching you. A stalker can describe anyone who sneaks around, but it usually means a person who follows one specific individual obsessively. The word wasn't used this way until the early 1990s. Before that, it was mostly used interchangeably with "poacher" to mean "someone who pursues and steals game animals." The Old English word stelan lead to the English word steal, which is most likely the root of stalk.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stalker stalkers

It wasn’t the reality TV star’s first brush with the alleged stalker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Instead, he attacked Haberman’s appearance and called her a scammer, a phony and a stalker.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

Det Ch Insp Teresa Foster from the Met Police said she believed Lamplugh may have been targeted by a stalker.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The harrowing sequence of events began just over a week ago, but the alleged stalker has been spotted near the “Please, Please, Please” singer’s home since April, according to court documents reviewed by The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

I’m not usually a stalker, and I’m not following her, exactly.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

She handles intake for new clients, including those who are targeted by stalkers.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

A newly launched government app will now allow victims in South Korea to electronically track the location of their stalkers in real time.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Stalking Protection Orders - which can ban alleged stalkers from contacting or being within a certain distance of their victims - will also be made more widely available, the government said.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2024

Dalu said it’s possible that Bardo does have a sincere interest in shedding light on the mentality of stalkers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024

As Elizabeth walked along the line of guardsmen, they did nothing to protect her from her stalkers.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

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