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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Willa Cather
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
This would include data showing the movement of drones and loitering munitions, electronic warfare attacks, and the activities of autonomous systems, Anduril says.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
No longer restricted to aggressive surveillance and loitering outside polling locations, the risks associated by DHS with election fraud conspiracies today more closely resemble traditional acts of terrorism.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
The ad criticizes Min for voting in favor of the controversial California Senate Bill 357, which rescinded misdemeanor laws against loitering in public for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Dynamically speaking, the first two objects are much like 2024 PT5 in that they’ve been observed briefly loitering in Earth’s clutches only to be swept away before completing a single revolution of our planet.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for loiter 
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Will Knight, WIRED, 19 Sep. 2024
No longer restricted to aggressive surveillance and loitering outside polling locations, the risks associated by DHS with election fraud conspiracies today more closely resemble traditional acts of terrorism.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
The ad criticizes Min for voting in favor of the controversial California Senate Bill 357, which rescinded misdemeanor laws against loitering in public for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Dynamically speaking, the first two objects are much like 2024 PT5 in that they’ve been observed briefly loitering in Earth’s clutches only to be swept away before completing a single revolution of our planet.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for loiter
Dictionary Entries Near loiter
Cite this Entry
“Loiter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loiter. Accessed 1 Dec. 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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