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• loafer
  loafer

  noun

  a person who loafs; lazy person; idler.
• Loafer
  Loafer

  a brand name for a moccasinlike slip-on shoe.

loafer

¹ American  

[loh-fer] / ˈloʊ fər /

noun

• loafers
  plural

1. a person who loafs; lazy person; idler.

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Loafer ² American  

[loh-fer] / ˈloʊ fər /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a moccasinlike slip-on shoe.

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loafer British  

/ ˈləʊfə /

noun

1. a person who avoids work; idler

2. a moccasin-like shoe for casual wear

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• loaferish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• loafers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of loafer

1820–30, perhaps short for *landloafer vagabond; compare German (obsolete) Landläufer, Dutch landloper; see landloper

Explanation

If you're a loafer, you avoid working whenever possible, preferring to lounge around relaxing instead. And, if you're too lazy to tie your own shoes, you may prefer to wear loafers — slip-on shoes without laces. If you're a loafer at work, your co-workers will grow to resent you for doing nothing while they do their jobs. Loafers like to loaf, or "spend time in an idle, aimless way." People will call you a loafer if you spend most of your time in a reclining position, take frequent breaks for snacks and naps, or obviously avoid anything resembling hard work. This noun has been in use since the mid-1800s, but its origin isn't clear. The shoe called a loafer got its name because it's easily slipped on, without the work of laces and knots.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loafer Loafer loafers

The soap-bubble fantasy of Ms. Lemann’s New Orleans rather calls to mind the Hundred Acre Wood, if Christopher Robin were a gentle, dissipated loafer in a wrinkled seersucker suit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

The man whose loafer launched an empire wanted a piece of the action this time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026

“She’s a loafer for life now,” Kelce confirmed.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2025

The song is the unhurried portrait of a loafer on his front porch, watching tourists sunbathe while a pot of shrimp is beginning to boil.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2023

But when we went by The Coffee Pot Cafe, there were faces at the window, and a loafer or two paused on the sidewalk to see us pass.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

If I had requested a Big Loafer steak sandwich and bacon at eight in the morning, I suspect her only follow-up would have been, “One piece or two?”

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

The Campo Loafer is the ultimate in cool with its curved kitten heel and bulky asymmetrical silhouette.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024

The fire broke out on the top floor of the Loafer Lodge in the Wellington neighbourhood of Newtown just after midnight on Tuesday.

From Reuters ● May 15, 2023

From the great Loafer, a film by Madras film-maker A Bhimsingh.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 14, 2011

The Loafer is alone with the south-west wind and the blue sky.

From Pagan Papers by Kenneth Grahame

That’s a bargain: Men’s Gucci loafers go for $1,090 today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Those still open tend to have generators, menus priced in dollars and a clientele of well-connected Cubans, decked in salmon shirts and tassel loafers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The illicit purchases also included games consoles, a £100 chopstick set, £100 men's loafers and £2.50 hand cream.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

A man representing Schlesinger, dressed in white slacks, polished loafers and a dark pinkish-red blazer stands at the edge of the pool, near its shadowy edges, staring down at the swimmer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

He’s wearing dark polyester pants, a button-up shirt, a navy-blue blazer, and loafers with dark socks.

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm