loiter
verb (used without object)
to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place.
are loitering
-
present progressiveof loiter.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About 75 tankers are loitering in Venezuelan waters, and half are on Treasury’s blacklist for sanctions violators, according to TankerTrackers.com.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
“People are loitering there on the plaza and it is spilling into the ancillary areas, which makes it even more of an emergency.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
“Now, they are loitering around, which puts them at risk of being trafficked,” said Razia Sultana, a lawyer and a Rohingya rights activist.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2022
Stoke and Reading are loitering with intent should the deal collapse.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 16, 2012
The line of the ridge itself is just now cut out clearly against the sky, but soft puffs and ponpons of cloud are loitering near it with evident intentions.
From A Midsummer Drive Through the Pyrenees by Edwin Asa Dix
