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loitering
[ loi-ter-ing ]
noun
- the act of lingering aimlessly or as if aimlessly in or about a place:
A cluster of teens gathered in front of the plaza were charged with violating a city bylaw against loitering.
- the act of moving in a slow, idle manner, with purposeless stops:
His celebration of loitering as the best form of travel will resonate with anyone who has ever dared toss away a tourist map.
- the act of wasting time or dawdling over work:
As film director Jean Renoir notes, “The foundation of all civilization is loitering” because it gives time for creative thinking.
adjective
- lingering aimlessly, moving slowly and idly, or wasting time:
Fossil fuels may not remain plentiful long enough to underwrite such a loitering transition to renewable energy.
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Other Words From
- loi·ter·ing·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
Origin of loitering1
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Example Sentences
Now, with the publication of ‘Loitering,’ the uninitiated can discover what all the fuss is about.
Reading Loitering I thought about David Foster Wallace a lot.
The issue has quickly turned from the supposed issue at hand—namely, is he "loitering" in a place that forbids it?
An absentee father is loitering about with his son and namesake, Mason Jr., at a deserted concert hall.
Nor did we cruise in the singles bar or Christopher Street sense, loitering with sexual intent.
They were slowing down at a station and there were no less than three picturesque looking young fellows loitering about the place.
Then off would roam Sally, perhaps loitering around fair Ingleside, or returning to her beloved pine woods and leafy oak-tree.
She tried to drop behind; but the team had an infinite capacity for loitering.
He was a bird of affairs; he had too much on his mind for loitering.
She questioned a peasant who was loitering near the drawbridge.
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