stalker

American  

[staw-ker] / ˈstɔ kər /

noun

• stalkers
  plural

1. a person who pursues game, prey, or a person stealthily.

2. a person who harasses another person, as a former lover, a famous person, etc., in an aggressive, often threatening and illegal manner.

   Hollywood stars often have security guards to keep dangerous stalkers at bay.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stalkers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stalker

stalk ² (verb) + -er ¹

Explanation

You might joke about your neighborhood stalker who always seems to know where you've been and what time you get home from work every day, but it can actually be a little creepy to know that someone's watching you. A stalker can describe anyone who sneaks around, but it usually means a person who follows one specific individual obsessively. The word wasn't used this way until the early 1990s. Before that, it was mostly used interchangeably with "poacher" to mean "someone who pursues and steals game animals." The Old English word stelan lead to the English word steal, which is most likely the root of stalk.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stalker stalkers

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor said he came face-to-face with an alleged stalker wearing a balaclava who chased after him in a confrontation close to his Sandringham home in Norfolk, a court heard.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Max even has his own stalker played by Juliette Lewis, who also starred in the 1991 movie.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

The alleged stalker held firm, saying he knew the singer and that she was expecting his visit, and refused to leave until police arrived.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

The owner of another horse, Detail, wrote in a Facebook post that the alleged attacker was a “crazy obsessed stalker who has been following me on social media for a long time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

"I have to tell you, man, that my stalker meter is kind of registering in the red zone right now."

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

She handles intake for new clients, including those who are targeted by stalkers.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

A newly launched government app will now allow victims in South Korea to electronically track the location of their stalkers in real time.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Ravec oversees security for key public figures by assessing risks from terrorism, extremism, stalkers and any other foreseeable threat such as a "fixated individual".

From BBC ● May 24, 2025

They divorced and Thomas, who had largely quit acting over fears of stalkers, married Brittenham, with whom she raised a daughter and two stepdaughters while writing scripts and the novel “Trophies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2024

As Elizabeth walked along the line of guardsmen, they did nothing to protect her from her stalkers.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals