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loiterer

 - 4 dictionary results

loi⋅ter

  [loi-ter]
Use loiterer in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
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.
–verb (used with object)
4. to pass (time) in an idle or aimless manner (usually fol. by away): to loiter away the afternoon in daydreaming.
Origin:
1300–50; ME loteren, loytren, perh. < MD loteren to stagger, totter; cf. D leuteren to dawdle

Related forms:
loi⋅ter⋅er, noun
loi⋅ter⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To loiterer
loi·ter   (loi'tər)   
intr.v.   loi·tered, loi·ter·ing, loi·ters

  1. To stand idly about; linger aimlessly.

  2. To proceed slowly or with many stops: loitered all the way home.

  3. To delay or dawdle: loiter over a task.


[Middle English loitren, probably from Middle Dutch loteren, to totter, be loose.]
loi'ter·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

loiter 
1362 (implied in loitering), from M.Du. loteren "be loose or erratic, shake, totter" like a loose tooth or a sail in a storm. In modern Du., leuteren "to delay, linger, loiter over one's work." Probably cognate with O.E. lutian "lurk," and related to O.E. loddere "beggar," O.H.G. lotar "empty, vain," Ger. Lotterbube "vagabond, rascal," O.E. lyðre "base, bad, wicked."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: loi·ter
Pronunciation: 'loi-t&r
Function: intransitive verb
: to remain in or hang around an area for no obvious purpose; specifically : to linger aimlessly for the purpose of committing a crime loitering on school grounds>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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