loafer
noun
a person who loafs; lazy person; idler.
loafer
1 American
[loh-fer]
/ ˈloʊ fər /
noun
Loafer
2
American
[loh-fer]
/ ˈloʊ fər /
Trademark.
loafer
British
/ ˈləʊfə /
noun
-
a person who avoids work; idler
-
a moccasin-like shoe for casual wear
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing loafer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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The Crossover
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The Life I'm In
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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.
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
As soon as he was clear of the Customs booth, however, he stomped a tasseled loafer down on the accelerator and the squealing Cadillac rocketed away.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
