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

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Etymology

Origin of stalker

stalk ² (verb) + -er ¹

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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

Instead, he attacked Haberman’s appearance and called her a scammer, a phony and a stalker.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 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

Her family sat aghast through the trial, trying to absorb not just the enormity of what had happened but also the tragedy of knowing that major companies could have revealed Krug's stalker far earlier.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

I’m not usually a stalker, and I’m not following her, exactly.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

South Korean authorities are developing a mobile app for stalking victims to track in real-time the location of their stalkers, if they're nearby.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025

The number of reports against stalkers have surged since then, from 7,600 in 2022 to more than 13,000 last year, according to data from the justice ministry.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025

When I meet famous people, within 10 minutes we’re talking about our stalkers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025

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

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