Adjacent Words

Loiter definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LOIT'ER, v.i.
To linger; to be slow in moving; to delay; to be dilatory; to spend time idly.
If we have loitered, let us quicken our pace.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: be about; "The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square"; "Who is this man that is hanging around the department?" [syn: loiter, lounge, footle, lollygag, loaf, lallygag, hang around, mess about, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill around]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century 1. to delay an activity with idle stops and pauses ; dawdle 2. a. to remain in an area for no obvious reason b. to lag behind Synonyms: see delay • loiter noun • loiterer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 intr. hang about; linger idly. 2 intr. travel indolently and with long pauses. 3 tr. (foll. by away) pass (time etc.) in loitering. Phrases and idioms: loiter with intent hang about in order to commit a felony. Derivatives: loiterer n. Etymology: ME f. MDu. loteren wag about

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Loiter Loi"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Loitered; p. pr. & vb. n. Loitering.] [D. leuteren to delay, loiter; cf; Prov. G. lottern to be louse, lotter louse, slack, unsettled, vagrant, OHG. lotar.] 1. To be slow in moving; to delay; to linger; to be dilatory; to spend time idly; to saunter; to lag behind. Sir John, you loiter here too long. --Shak. If we have loitered, let us quicken our pace. --Rogers. 2. To wander as an idle vagrant. [Obs.] --Spenser. Syn: To linger; delay; lag; saunter; tarry.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(loiters, loitering, loitered) 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: V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Lag, linger, delay, tarry, saunter, dillydally, move slowly, be dilatory.

Moby Thesaurus

abide, await, bide, bide the issue, bum, bum around, coquet, dabble, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, do nothing, doodle, drag, fall behind, falter, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget with, finger with, flag, flirt, fool, fool around, fool with, fribble, frivol, get behind, goof off, halt, hang about, hang around, hang back, hold everything, hold on, hold your horses, horse around, idle, jerk off, kid around, lag, laze, lazy, lie around, linger, linger behind, loaf, loiter about, loll, loll around, lollop around, lollygag, lounge, lounge around, mark time, mess around, monkey, monkey around, mooch around, moon, moon around, piddle, play, play around, play with, poke, potter, procrastinate, put off, putter, shilly-shally, sit around, sit tight, sit up, slouch, slouch around, smatter, stand around, stay, stay up, stick around, straggle, take time, tarry, tinker, toy, toy with, trail, trail behind, trifle, twiddle, wait, wait a minute, wait and see, waste time