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loiter

verb
loi·​ter | \ ˈlȯi-tÉ™r How to pronounce loiter (audio) \
loitered; loitering; loiters

Definition of loiter

intransitive verb

1 : to delay an activity with idle stops and pauses : dawdle asked him not to loiter on the way home
2a : to remain in an area for no obvious reason teenagers loitering in the parking lot
b : to lag behind a crowd of people, who loitered to hear the bloodcurdling threats the prisoner shouted— Willa Cather
Other Words from loiter Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about loiter

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Other Words from loiter

loiter noun
loiterer \ ˈlȯi-​tÉ™r-​É™r How to pronounce loiterer (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for loiter

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind. delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure). we cannot delay any longer procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. procrastinates about making decisions lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others. lagging behind in technology loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time. loitered at several store windows children dawdling on their way home from school dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary. stop dallying and get to work

Examples of loiter in a Sentence

Loitering is prohibited outside the theaters. don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark

Recent Examples on the Web

 Ron Asheton, his brother, Scott, and their buddy Dave Alexander used to loiter out front, spitting on cars. — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, "The Survival of Iggy Pop," 26 Aug. 2019 The most prevalent crimes were loitering, vagrancy, and drunkenness; which was the result of the many bars located along Main Street in Westminster. — Kevin Dayhoff, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Dayhoff: Westminster Police Department, with 200 years of history, adds six new officers," 9 Aug. 2019 New York Times Today’s essay: On being, joy, and loitering Ross Gay is a writer, gardener, former college gridiron player, and an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "Trump Comes for Baltimore, Baltimore Claps Back: raceAhead," 29 July 2019 Where: Miami What: A storm-heavy week is expected to turn parts of Florida into a moist blubbering mess, thanks to a disturbance loitering above the Atlantic seaboard and about to dump rain, winds and thunderstorms all over the place. — Patrick May, The Mercury News, "Hey Bay Area residents, be glad you’re not in these places this week," 22 July 2019 The practices take place most weekdays after school, and a few of the players' classmates loitered on the sideline. — Max Marshall, SI.com, "Mining the Miracle," 26 June 2019 Bowden had multiple prior arrests including theft, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and loitering. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al.com, "Gardendale man guilty in deadly baseball bat bludgeoning of girlfriend," 10 July 2019 Many businesses are having problems with loitering in the municipal right-of-way, panhandling, shoplifting, drinking and menacing behavior like pounding on windows, Davidge said. — Julia O'malley, Anchorage Daily News, "Panhandling, drinking and loitering are at a breaking point in Midtown Anchorage, businesses say," 26 June 2019 That would include a prohibition against 11 p.m. to 5 p.m. gathering or loitering in breezeways and microplazas. — John Fryar, The Denver Post, "Longmont City Council gives initial approval to downtown smoking ban," 25 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'loiter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of loiter

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for loiter

Middle English

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More Definitions for loiter

loiter

verb
How to pronounce loiter (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of loiter

: to remain in an area when you do not have a particular reason to be there

See the full definition for loiter in the English Language Learners Dictionary

loiter

verb
loi·​ter | \ ˈlȯi-tÉ™r How to pronounce loiter (audio) \
loitered; loitering

Kids Definition of loiter

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