Meaning & use
loitering
Last updated
The act of standing or lingering around a place without any clear purpose, often seen as suspicious.
See it in a sentence
The sign outside the store warned that loitering was not permitted.
Security guards asked the teenagers to stop loitering near the entrance.
A note on using this word
Loitering is frequently used in legal and public-safety contexts, such as "no loitering" signs, and can carry a mildly negative connotation of suspicious idleness.
Words with a similar meaning
lingeringidling
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
To stand or wait around in a place for no obvious reason.
A group of boys loitered outside the arcade after closing time.
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