loiter
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loi·ter
(loi′tər)intr.v. loi·tered, loi·ter·ing, loi·ters
1.
a. To stand idly about; linger without any purpose.
b. Law To violate a law or ordinance that prohibits persons from remaining in a given location without a clear purpose for an extended period of time, especially when behaving in a manner indicating a possible threat to persons or property in the vicinity.
2. To hover over or remain near an area: Fog loitered over the mountains. A jet loitered in the sky near the airbase.
3. To proceed slowly or with many stops: loitered all the way home.
4. To act slowly or with leisure; take one's time: "The organist loitered over the keys, making sure of his mastery of the coming Sabbath anthem" (O. Henry).
[Middle English loitren, probably from Middle Dutch loteren, to totter, be loose.]
loi′ter·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
loiter
(ˈlɔɪtə)vb
(intr) to stand or act aimlessly or idly
[C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch löteren to wobble: perhaps related to Old English lūtian to lurk]
ˈloiterer n
ˈloitering n, adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
loi•ter
(ˈlɔɪ tər)v.i.
1. to linger aimlessly or as if aimlessly in or about a place.
2. to move in a slow, idle manner.
3. to waste time or dawdle over work.
v.t. 4. to pass (time) in an idle or aimless manner (usu. fol. by away): to loiter away the afternoon in daydreaming.
[1300–50; Middle English loteren, loytren]
loi′ter•er, n.
loi′ter•ing•ly, adv.
syn: loiter, dally, dawdle, idle imply moving or acting slowly, stopping for unimportant reasons, and in general wasting time. To loiter is to linger aimlessly: to loiter outside a building. To dally is to loiter indecisively or to delay as if free from care or responsibility: to dally on the way home. To dawdle is to saunter, stopping often, and taking a great deal of time, or to fritter away time working in a halfhearted way: to dawdle over a task. To idle is to move slowly and aimlessly, or to spend time doing nothing: to idle away the hours.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
loiter
Past participle: loitered
Gerund: loitering
| Imperative |
|---|
| loiter |
| loiter |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. |  loiter - be about; "The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square"; "Who is this man that is hanging around the department?"footle, hang around, lallygag, mess about, mill about, mill around, tarry, lollygag, lounge, lurk, linger, loaf be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
loiter
verb linger, idle, loaf, saunter, delay, stroll, lag, dally, loll, dawdle, skulk, dilly-dally (informal), hang about or around unemployed young men loitering at the entrance to the factory.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
loiter
verb1. To go or move slowly so that progress is hindered:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Spanish / Español
loiter
[ˈlɔɪtəʳ] VI (= idle) → perder el tiempo; (= lag behind) → rezagarse; (= dally) → entretenersedon't loiter on the way! → ¡no te entretengas!
to loiter (with intent) (Jur) → merodear con fines sospechosos or delictivos
loiter away VT + ADV to loiter away the time → perder el tiempo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
loiter
(ˈloitə) verb to proceed, work etc slowly or to stand doing nothing in particular. They were loitering outside the ship.rezagarse, entretenerse, perder el tiempo
loitering nounThey were arrested for loitering (= moving around or waiting suspiciously in a public place); No loitering! merodeo con intenciones criminales
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.