noun
Meaning 1
A standing or strolling about without any aim or purpose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
loiter
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈlɔɪtə(ɹ)/
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US: /ˈlɔɪtɚ/
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US: [ˈlɔɪɾɚ]
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɔɪtə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: L OY1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- For some reason, they discourage loitering outside the store, but encourage it inside.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lepak, linger, hang around
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To stroll about without any aim or purpose, to ramble, to wander.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To remain at a certain place instead of moving on.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
For an aircraft to remain in the air near a target.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
be about
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square
- Who is this man that is hanging around the department?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lounge, footle, lollygag, loaf, lallygag, hang around, mess about, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill around
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: be
Narrower terms: prowl, lurch
History
Etymology
From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German lottern (“live a slovenly life”). More at lout, little.
Across languages
Translations
83 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Azerbaijani: veyillənmək — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Bulgarian: мотая се (motaja se) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Bulgarian: разтакавам се (raztakavam se) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Chinese Mandarin: 遊蕩 /游荡 (yóudàng) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Czech: lelkovat — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Czech: okounět — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Dutch: rondhangen — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Finnish: maleksia — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Finnish: roikkua — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Finnish: seisoksia — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Finnish: munia — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Finnish: vetelehtiä — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- French: flâner — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- French: traîner — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Galician: lacazanear — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: rumlungern — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: rumhängen — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: herumhängen — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: abhängen — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: herumlungern — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: herumlümmeln — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: trödeln — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: herumtrödeln — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: gammeln — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: herumgammeln — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- German: sich herumdrücken — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Ancient Greek: μένω (ménō) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Hungarian: álldogál — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Hungarian: lézeng — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Hungarian: ácsorog — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Icelandic: slóra — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: bighellonare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: attardarsi — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: aggirarsi — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: gironzolare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: vagabondare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: oziare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: sostare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Italian: indugiare — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Latin: moror — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Latin: sedeo — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Māori: paratinaku — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Māori: whakatinaku — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Māori: karioi — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Māori: mōnaroa — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Nepali: डुल्नु (ḍulnu) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Persian: وایستادن (vâystâdan) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: sterczeć — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: wałęsać się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: kręcić się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: szwendać się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: włóczyć się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: łazęgować — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: wałęsać się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Polish: szlajać się — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Portuguese: vadiar — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Russian: торча́ть (torčátʹ) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Russian: окола́чиваться (okoláčivatʹsja) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Russian: ошива́ться (ošivátʹsja) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: holgazanear — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: perder el tiempo — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: merodear — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: vagar — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: vaguear — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: honguearse — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: pavear — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: tirarse la pera — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Spanish: banderearse — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Swedish: driva omkring — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Swedish: driva runt — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Swedish: hänga — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Swedish: drälla — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Swedish: lulla — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Tagalog: mag-ansikot — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Tagalog: mag-asikot — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Tamil: லாந்து (lāntu) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Thai: ยืนเอ้อระเหย — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Thai: ยืนเตร็ดเตร่ — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Turkish: ağır davranmak — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Ukrainian: стоя́ти стовпо́м (stojáty stovpóm) — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Vietnamese: la cà — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Walloon: holer — to stand about without any aim or purpose
- Walloon: trinner — to stand about without any aim or purpose