loitered; loitering; loiters
1
: to delay an activity with idle stops and pauses : dawdle
asked him not to loiter on the way home
2
a
: to remain in an area for no obvious reason
teenagers loitering in the parking lot
b
: to lag behind
a crowd of people, who loitered to hear the bloodcurdling threats the prisoner shouted—
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loiter
noun
Synonyms
Examples of loiter in a Sentence
Loitering is prohibited outside the theaters.
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea is somehow that, loitering on the 495 while police clear away a car accident, a whole lot of truth bombs and F-bombs can now be properly dropped.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2024
While a judge may soon decide whether the music must fade out, one thing’s for sure: Devising a long-term solution that works — for businesses, loitering teens, and homeless in San Rafael and elsewhere — will take much longer.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 21 June 2024
The defendant was known to loiter in the building, according to neighbor Robert Skeff.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 June 2024
Cracking down on the retail supply has become much harder since drug dealers started connecting with customers by cell phone rather than by loitering on street corners.
—Mark A. R. Kleiman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
See all Example Sentences for loiter 
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2024
While a judge may soon decide whether the music must fade out, one thing’s for sure: Devising a long-term solution that works — for businesses, loitering teens, and homeless in San Rafael and elsewhere — will take much longer.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 21 June 2024
The defendant was known to loiter in the building, according to neighbor Robert Skeff.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 June 2024
Cracking down on the retail supply has become much harder since drug dealers started connecting with customers by cell phone rather than by loitering on street corners.
—Mark A. R. Kleiman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
See all Example Sentences for loiter
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loiter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near loiter
Cite this Entry
“Loiter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loiter. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
loiter
verb
loi·ter
ˈlȯit-ər 
1
: to interrupt or delay an errand or a journey with pointless stops
2
a
: to remain in an area for no good reason
b
: to lag behind
loiterer
noun
Legal Definition
loiter
intransitive verb
loi·ter
ˈlȯi-tər
: to remain in or hang around an area for no obvious purpose
specifically
: to linger for the purpose of committing a crime
a statute forbidding any person from loitering on school grounds
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