loafer
1 Americannoun
noun
-
a person who avoids work; idler
-
a moccasin-like shoe for casual wear
Other Word Forms
- loaferish adjective
Etymology
Origin of loafer
1820–30, perhaps short for *landloafer vagabond; compare German (obsolete) Landläufer, Dutch landloper; landloper
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.
“She’s a loafer for life now,” Kelce confirmed.
From Salon • Aug. 14, 2025
A penny loafer with subtle studs and detachable tassels?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 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
There were new offerings of the Gucci loafer and the brand's famed handbags.
From Reuters • Feb. 24, 2023
“Careful, Son. And take close aim; it’s a big loafer wolf, gone mad.”
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
