loiter
to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place: to loiter around the bus terminal.
to move in a slow, idle manner, making purposeless stops in the course of a trip, journey, errand, etc.: to loiter on the way to work.
to waste time or dawdle over work: He loiters over his homework until one in the morning.
to pass (time) in an idle or aimless manner (usually followed by away): to loiter away the afternoon in daydreaming.
Origin of loiter
1synonym study For loiter
Other words for loiter
Other words from loiter
- loi·ter·er, noun
Words Nearby loiter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use loiter in a sentence
Today, his berths are full and four of the ships loitering in San Pedro Bay are impatient for a spot.
Wood said in a later interview that he wished he could have told that man about all the times he’d felt profiled by police — beginning when an officer warned him as a middle-schooler about loitering as he played basketball.
In D.C., high-profile crimes spur hard conversations: ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ | Rachel Chason, Emily Davies | July 30, 2021 | Washington PostOn another night, that bunch of teens loitering on a street corner was our pod analyzing the use of public space with a fellow parent, an urban planner.
We created a pandemic pod for our high schoolers. It was just what we all needed. | Sara Lippmann, Holly Ojalvo | June 4, 2021 | Washington PostIt was within an hour of midnight, and the weather being dark and piercing cold, he had no great temptation to loiter.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensWe may not loiter along the Nithdale road, rich as it is in traditions and relics of the past.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. Murphy
I believe that is why Jim has a definite camping place in mind for each day and doesnt let us loiter much along the way.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O | Clair BlankMuch depends, however, whether the object of the cruise is to loiter about and fish, or to sail and cover the ground.
Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.Paul, the owner, would loiter in the rear, but was always on hand when we halted for meals.
British Dictionary definitions for loiter
/ (ˈlɔɪtə) /
(intr) to stand or act aimlessly or idly
Origin of loiter
1Derived forms of loiter
- loiterer, noun
- loitering, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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