Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense loiters, present participle loitering, past tense, past participle loitered
verb
If you loiter somewhere, you remain there or walk up and down without any real purpose.
Unemployed young men loiter at the entrance of the factory. [VERB]
Synonyms: linger, idle, loaf, saunter More Synonyms of loiter
loiter in British English
(ˈlɔɪtə)
verb
(intransitive)
to stand or act aimlessly or idly
Derived forms
loiterer (ˈloiterer)
noun
loitering (ˈloitering)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch löteren to wobble: perhaps related to Old English lūtian to lurk
loiter in American English
(ˈlɔɪtər)
verb intransitive
1.
to linger in an aimless way; spend time idly
often with about
2.
to walk or move slowly and indolently, with frequent stops and pauses
verb transitive
3.
to spend (time) idly
loitered away the day
SYNONYMY NOTE: loiter implies aimlessness or slowness of movement and may suggest a wasting of time inlingering or lagging [to loiter around street corners]; dawdle implies a wasting of time over trifles or a frittering away of time that makes forslow progress [to dawdle over a cup of tea]; dally suggests a spending of time in trifling or frivolous pursuits; , idle suggests habitual avoidance of work, or inactivity, indolence, etc. [to idle away the hours]
Derived forms
loiterer (ˈloiterer)
noun
Word origin
ME loitren < MDu loteren (Du leuteren, to dawdle), akin to OE loddere, beggar < IE base *(s)leu-, to hang loosely > sleet, slur
Examples of 'loiter' in a sentence
loiter
He spotted the youths loitering as he walked through a car park.
The Sun (2008)
So what was he doing loitering outside a branch of his own bank?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They perhaps had one slight doubt: who were all those people loitering outside?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I wonder if the police will be loitering outside the church, just in case.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It belongs to a friendly, middle-aged man loitering in his garden.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Show business agencies are competing to book celebrities into the May Fair and other hotels in the hope they will be spotted by paparazzi photographers loitering outside.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
loiter
British English: loiter VERB
If you loiter somewhere, you remain there or walk up and down without any real purpose.
Unemployed young men loiter at the entrance of the factory.
American English: loiter
Brazilian Portuguese: vadiar
Chinese: 闲逛
European Spanish: merodear
French: traîner
German: herumlungern
Italian: attardarsi
Japanese: ぶらつく
Korean: 어슬렁거리다
European Portuguese: vadiar
Latin American Spanish: merodear
(verb)
Definition
to stand or wait aimlessly or idly
unemployed young men loitering at the entrance to the factory.
Synonyms
linger
Customers are welcome to linger over coffee until midnight.
idle
He idled the time away in dreamy thought.
loaf
She studied, and I just loafed around.
saunter
delay
If he delayed any longer, the sun would be up.
stroll
lag
The boys crept forward, Roger lagging a little.
dally
He did not dally long over his meal.
loll
dawdle
They dawdled arm in arm past the shopfronts.
skulk
skulking in the safety of the car
dilly-dally (informal)
hang about or around
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dally
Definition
to waste time or dawdle
He did not dally long over his meal.
Synonyms
waste time,
delay,
fool (about or around),
linger,
hang about,
loiter,
while away,
dawdle,
fritter away,
procrastinate,
tarry,
dilly-dally (informal),
drag your feet or heels
in the sense of dawdle
Definition
to walk slowly or lag behind
They dawdled arm in arm past the shopfronts.
Synonyms
waste time,
potter,
trail,
lag,
idle,
loaf,
hang about,
dally,
loiter,
dilly-dally (informal),
drag your feet or heels
in the sense of delay
Definition
to deliberately take longer than necessary to do something
If he delayed any longer, the sun would be up.
Synonyms
linger,
lag,
loiter,
dawdle,
tarry,
dilly-dally (informal),
drag your feet or heels (informal)
Nearby words of
loiter
logistics
logo
loin
loiter
loll
London
lone
Synonyms of 'loiter'
loiter
Explore 'loiter' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dilly-dally
Definition
to dawdle or waste time
Synonyms
delay,
hesitate,
linger,
potter,
hover,
falter,
waver,
fluctuate,
trifle,
dither (British),
dawdle,
dally,
loiter,
vacillate,
procrastinate,
hum and haw,
shillyshally (informal)
in the sense of idle
Definition
to waste or pass (time) in idleness
He idled the time away in dreamy thought.
Synonyms
fritter,
while,
waste,
fool,
lounge,
potter,
loaf,
dally,
loiter,
dawdle,
laze
in the sense of lag
Definition
to hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, or development