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⇱ loiterer - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
loi•ter /ˈlɔɪtɚ/USA pronunciation   v. [no object]
  1. to remain in an area without obvious purpose;
    hang around:two men loitering suspiciously by the entrance to the hotel.
loi•ter•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
loi•ter  (loi′tər),USA pronunciation v.i. 
  1. to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place:to loiter around the bus terminal.
  2. 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.
  3. to waste time or dawdle over work:He loiters over his homework until one in the morning.

v.t. 
  1. to pass (time) in an idle or aimless manner (usually fol. by away):to loiter away the afternoon in daydreaming.
  • Middle Dutch loteren to stagger, totter; compare Dutch leuteren to dawdle
  • Middle English loteren, loytren, perh. 1300–50
loi′ter•er, n. 
loi′ter•ing•ly, adv. 
    1. Loiter, dally, dawdle, idle imply moving or acting slowly, stopping for unimportant reasons, and in general wasting time. To loiter is to linger aimlessly:to loiter outside a building.To dally is to loiter indecisively or to delay as if free from care or responsibility:to dally on the way home.To dawdle is to saunter, stopping often, and taking a great deal of time, or to fritter away time working in a halfhearted way:to dawdle over a task.To idle is to move slowly and aimlessly, or to spend a great deal of time doing nothing:to idle away the hours. 1. –4. loaf. 2. 3. delay, tarry.
'loiterer' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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