Meaning & use
loiter
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To stay in one place without a clear reason, especially where you are not meant to, as if killing time.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a place: loiter outside the shop.
Patterns
- loiter around
- loiter outside something
- loiter in something
Teenagers loitered outside the shop after school.
A sign warned people not to loiter near the entrance.
He loitered at the bus stop for an hour without catching a bus.
verbintransitiveold-fashioned
To move or work slowly, wasting time instead of finishing what you have been asked to do.
Grammar: No object; often followed by over or on the way.
Patterns
- loiter over something
- loiter on the way
Don't loiter on your way home; dinner is ready.
She loitered over her homework until midnight.
The porter loitered at the door instead of carrying the bags.
Word forms
| third person singular | loiters |
|---|---|
| past tense | loitered |
| past participle | loitered |
| -ing form | loitering |
Common combinations
- loiter outside
- Several men loitered outside the bank.
- loiter around
- Don't loiter around the car park.
- no loitering
- The sign said no loitering after dark.
- loiter with intent
- He was charged with loitering with intent.
- loiter in the hallway
- Students must not loiter in the hallway.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hang around
- Hang around is informal and neutral, whereas loiter suggests unwanted or suspicious waiting.
- linger
- Linger is gentler and often means staying because you enjoy something.
- dawdle
- Dawdle means moving too slowly, not standing about in one place.
- lurk
- Lurk adds hiding and a sense of danger, which loiter does not necessarily have.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: loiter or lounge? loiter or linger?
loiter vs lounge
Lounge means to relax in a lazy way, which is not suspicious like loiter.
loiter vs linger
Linger is gentler and does not suggest breaking rules.
Practice
Which place is a sign saying 'No loitering' most likely to be found?
Choose one answer.
No loitering asks people not to hang around without purpose, such as at a shop entrance. The other places do not make sense for that sign.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loiter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.