drift·er

[drif-ter]
noun
1.
a person or thing that drifts.
2.
a person who goes from place to place, job to job, etc., remaining in each for a short period, especially a hobo.
3.
Also called drift boat. a boat used in fishing with a drift net.

Origin:
1860–65; drift + -er1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
drifter (ˈdrɪftə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a person or thing that drifts
2.  a person who moves aimlessly from place to place, usually without a regular job
3.  a boat used for drift-net fishing
4.  nautical a large jib of thin material used in light breezes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Drifter is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

drifter
1864, as a mining term; 1883, "boat fishing with drift-nets;" from drift. Meaning "vagrant" is from 1908.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Students will calculate the magnitude of ocean currents, given data from
  drifter studies.
With everyone away, it would appear to the police to be the work of a drifter.
Drifter tracks indicated both long-distance transport and local retention.
The drifter occasionally rises to the surface to send a signal that relays its
  position.
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