Meaning & use
loafer
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Meanings
nouncountable
A flat, comfortable leather shoe with no laces that you slip on.
Grammar: Usually plural, as a pair: a pair of loafers.
Patterns
- a pair of loafers
He wore brown leather loafers to the office.
She bought a new pair of loafers for the trip.
Loafers are easy to slip on in a hurry.
nouncountabledisapprovingold-fashioned
A person who spends time doing nothing useful and avoids work.
Grammar: Disapproving word for a lazy person.
His father called him a loafer for sleeping until noon.
The village had no room for loafers who refused to help with the harvest.
Don't be a loafer; come and help us clean up.
Word forms
| plural | loafers |
|---|
Common combinations
- leather loafers
- He polished his leather loafers before the interview.
- penny loafers
- Penny loafers are a classic school shoe in the United States.
- a pair of loafers
- I packed a pair of loafers for the wedding.
- lazy loafer
- Nobody wanted a lazy loafer on the team.
- suede loafers
- She paired her suede loafers with jeans.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slip-on
- Slip-on is a broader term for any shoe without laces, while loafer is a particular style with a low heel.
- moccasin
- A moccasin is soft, flat footwear of Native American origin, a different design from the structured loafer.
- idler
- Idler is a more formal word for a lazy person, while loafer is more casual.
- slacker
- Slacker is a modern, informal word for someone who avoids effort, and is especially used for students or workers.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: loafer or loaf?
loafer vs loaf
A loaf is a shaped piece of bread; loaf as a verb means to idle.
Practice
A man in a suit wearing flat leather slip-on shoes is probably wearing ___.
Choose one answer.
Loafers are flat leather slip-on shoes. Sandals are open, boots cover the ankle, and slippers are for indoors.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loafer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.