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Loiter synonyms

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linger
To stay in a place or be slow in leaving it, often out of reluctance:
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  1. To stay in a place or be slow in leaving it, often out of reluctance:
  2. To pause or dwell (over or on something) in contemplation, deliberation, enjoyment, etc.
  3. To devote considerable time to something, especially in a leisurely fashion:
dawdle
To move aimlessly or lackadaisically:
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  1. To move aimlessly or lackadaisically:
  2. To spend (time) without haste or purpose.
  3. (Intransitive) To move or walk lackadaisically.
dally
To flirt; play at love
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  1. To flirt; play at love
  2. To consider or occupy oneself with something in a careless or unserious fashion; toy.
  3. To spend (time) idly:
idle
To move slowly or aimlessly; loaf
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  1. To move slowly or aimlessly; loaf
  2. To move slowly or without purpose:
  3. To pass (time) without doing anything:
lag
To move or develop more slowly than expected, desired, etc.; be retarded in motion, development, etc.
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  1. To move or develop more slowly than expected, desired, etc.; be retarded in motion, development, etc.
  2. (Billiards) To strike the cue ball so that it rebounds from the far rail to stop as close as possible to the near rail or the string line: done to decide the order of play
  3. To fall, move, or stay behind; loiter; linger
saunter
To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll.
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  1. To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll.
stroll
To go from place to place; wander
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  1. To go from place to place; wander
  2. To walk in an idle, leisurely manner; saunter
  3. To go somewhere with ease.
delay
To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
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  1. To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
  2. To put off to a future time; postpone
  3. To stop for a while; linger
shuffle
To move (things, for example) from one place or position to another; transfer or shift:
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  1. To move (things, for example) from one place or position to another; transfer or shift:
  2. To get (into or out of a situation or condition) by trickery, evasion, lies, etc.
  3. To move with short sliding steps, without or barely lifting the feet:
waste-time
To allow time to elapse in an unproductive manner.
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  1. To allow time to elapse in an unproductive manner.
putter
To dawdle or fritter (something) away
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  1. To dawdle or fritter (something) away
  2. To walk or move in an unhurried or casual manner.
  3. To spend (time) doing minor or unimportant activities:
procrastinate
To postpone or delay needlessly.
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  1. To postpone or delay needlessly.
  2. To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
  3. To put off doing (something unpleasant or burdensome) until a future time; esp., to postpone (such actions) habitually
traipse
To walk or tramp over or about:
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  1. To walk or tramp over or about:
  2. To walk or tramp about; gad:
  3. (Intransitive, colloquial) To walk about, especially when expending much effort, or unnecessary effort.
shamble
To walk in a lazy or clumsy manner, barely lifting the feet; shuffle
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  1. To walk in a lazy or clumsy manner, barely lifting the feet; shuffle
  2. To walk while shuffling or dragging the feet.
loaf
(Cockney rhyming slang) To headbutt, (from loaf of bread)
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  1. (Cockney rhyming slang) To headbutt, (from loaf of bread)
  2. (Intransitive) To do nothing, to be idle.
  3. To spend time idly; loiter or lounge about; idle, dawdle, etc.
lounge
To spend by lounging
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  1. To spend by lounging
  2. To stand, move, sit, lie, etc. in a relaxed or lazy way; loll
  3. To pass (time) in a lazy, relaxed, or idle way:
tarry
To delay, linger, be tardy, etc.
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  1. To delay, linger, be tardy, etc.
  2. To stay for a time, esp. longer than originally intended; remain temporarily
  3. To wait for; await.
loll
To hang or droop laxly:
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  1. To hang or droop laxly:
  2. To hang in a relaxed manner; droop
  3. To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner.
wait
To remain or be in readiness:
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  1. To remain or be in readiness:
  2. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed:
  3. To be a waiter or waitress at:
hover
To linger or wait close by, esp. in an overprotective, insistent, or anxious way
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  1. To linger or wait close by, esp. in an overprotective, insistent, or anxious way
  2. To stay suspended or flutter in the air near one place
  3. (Computers) To position a pointer over an object or area of the screen, causing a pop-up box to appear or other change to occur:
pause
To cause to be temporarily inactive; briefly stop the action of (an electronic device, audio or video stream, etc.)
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  1. To cause to be temporarily inactive; briefly stop the action of (an electronic device, audio or video stream, etc.)
  2. To cease or suspend an action temporarily:
  3. To cease or suspend the action of temporarily; stop for an interim:
dillydally
Alternative spelling of dilly-dally.
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  1. Alternative spelling of dilly-dally.
  2. To waste time in hesitation or vacillation; loiter or dawdle
hang-back
(Informal) To wait; to falter; to avoid proceeding through reluctance.
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  1. (Informal) To wait; to falter; to avoid proceeding through reluctance.
shilly-shally
To procrastinate.
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  1. To procrastinate.
  2. To be unable to come to a decision; vacillate.
  3. To spend time on insignificant things; dawdle.
amble
To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.
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  1. To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.
  2. To move along at an easy gait by using both legs on one side alternately with both on the other. Used of a horse.
  3. To go easily and unhurriedly; walk in a leisurely manner
slacken
To become less tense; loosen, as rope
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  1. To become less tense; loosen, as rope
  2. (Intransitive) To gradually decrease in intensity or tautness; to become slack.
  3. To make or become less tense, taut, or firm; loosen:
trail
To become gradually fainter; dwindle:
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  1. To become gradually fainter; dwindle:
  2. To drag or let drag behind one, esp. on the ground, etc.
  3. To move, walk, go along, etc. wearily, heavily, or slowly; crawl; drag
drag
To be prolonged tediously; move or pass too slowly
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  1. To be prolonged tediously; move or pass too slowly
  2. To take or escort (a person, for example), especially in overcoming resistance or reluctance:
  3. To draw (something) out over a period of time; protract tediously or painfully
flag
To let droop; to suffer to fall, or let fall, into feebleness.
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  1. To let droop; to suffer to fall, or let fall, into feebleness.
  2. To hang loose without stiffness; to bend down, as flexible bodies; to be loose, yielding, limp.
  3. To signal with or as with a flag; esp., to signal (the driver of a vehicle) to stop
ramble
To move about aimlessly:
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  1. To move about aimlessly:
  2. To follow an irregularly winding course of motion or growth:
  3. To talk or write aimlessly, without connection of ideas
hang around
(Idiomatic) to stay, linger or loiter
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  1. (Idiomatic) to stay, linger or loiter
  2. (Idiomatic) to spend time or be friends (especially to hang around with someone)
hang out
(Intransitive, idiomatic, slang) To spend time doing nothing in particular.
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  1. (Intransitive, idiomatic, slang) To spend time doing nothing in particular.
let-the-grass-grow-under-one-s-feet
(Idiomatic) To be idle; to fail to make progress.
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  1. (Idiomatic) To be idle; to fail to make progress.
dally
To flirt; play at love
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  1. To flirt; play at love
  2. To consider or occupy oneself with something in a careless or unserious fashion; toy.
  3. To spend (time) idly:
dawdle
To move aimlessly or lackadaisically:
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  1. To move aimlessly or lackadaisically:
  2. To spend (time) without haste or purpose.
  3. (Intransitive) To move or walk lackadaisically.
delay
To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
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  1. To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired:
  2. To act or move slowly; put off an action or a decision.
  3. To put off to a future time; postpone
dilly-dally
Alternative spelling of dilly-dally.
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  1. Alternative spelling of dilly-dally.
  2. To waste time, especially in indecision; dawdle or vacillate.
drag
To cause to be involved in an unpleasant or difficult situation:
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  1. To cause to be involved in an unpleasant or difficult situation:
  2. To bring (a subject) into conversation, a piece of writing, etc. unnecessarily or as if by force
  3. To be prolonged tediously; move or pass too slowly
lag
(Billiards) To strike the cue ball so that it rebounds from the far rail to stop as close as possible to the near rail or the string line: done to decide the order of play
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  1. (Billiards) To strike the cue ball so that it rebounds from the far rail to stop as close as possible to the near rail or the string line: done to decide the order of play
  2. To fall, move, or stay behind; loiter; linger
  3. To move or develop more slowly than expected, desired, etc.; be retarded in motion, development, etc.
linger
To proceed slowly; saunter:
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  1. To proceed slowly; saunter:
  2. To continue to live or exist although very close to death or the end
  3. To devote considerable time to something, especially in a leisurely fashion:
poke
To thrust forward; appear:
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  1. To thrust forward; appear:
  2. To push or jab with a stick, finger, etc.; prod
  3. To live or move slowly or lazily; loiter; putter; dawdle
procrastinate
To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
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  1. To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
  2. To put off doing (something unpleasant or burdensome) until a future time; esp., to postpone (such actions) habitually
  3. To postpone or delay needlessly.
tarry
To wait for; await.
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  1. To wait for; await.
  2. To stay for a time, esp. longer than originally intended; remain temporarily
  3. To delay, linger, be tardy, etc.
trail
To follow the course taken by; pursue:
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  1. To follow the course taken by; pursue:
  2. To become gradually fainter; dwindle:
  3. To move, walk, go along, etc. wearily, heavily, or slowly; crawl; drag
bum
To live by begging and scavenging from place to place. Often used with around.
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  1. To live by begging and scavenging from place to place. Often used with around.
  2. To live as a bum or vagrant
  3. To pass time idly; loaf. Often used with around.
idle
To pass (time) without doing anything:
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  1. To pass (time) without doing anything:
  2. To move slowly or without purpose:
  3. To move slowly or aimlessly; loaf
laze
To pass time relaxing.
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  1. To pass time relaxing.
  2. To be idle; loaf:
  3. To be lazy or idle; loaf
loaf
To pass time at leisure; idle.
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  1. To pass time at leisure; idle.
  2. (Intransitive) To do nothing, to be idle.
  3. (Cockney rhyming slang) To headbutt, (from loaf of bread)
lounge
To spend by lounging
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  1. To spend by lounging
  2. To pass (time) in a lazy, relaxed, or idle way:
  3. To move or act in a lazy, relaxed way; loll:
shirk
To avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).
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  1. To avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).
  2. To neglect or evade doing (something that should be done)
  3. To neglect or evade work, duty, etc.
diddle
(Vulgar Slang) To have intercourse with (a woman).
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  1. (Vulgar Slang) To have intercourse with (a woman).
  2. (Informal) To move back and forth in a jerky or rapid manner; jiggle
  3. (Slang) To waste time:
goldbrick
To shirk one's assigned duties or responsibilities.
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  1. To shirk one's assigned duties or responsibilities.
  2. (US slang, dated) To shirk or malinger
  3. (Mil. Slang) To shirk a duty or avoid work; loaf
goof
To make a silly mistake; blunder:
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  1. To make a silly mistake; blunder:
  2. To spoil, as through clumsiness; bungle. Usually used with up:
  3. To waste or kill time:

Synonym Study

  • Idle suggests habitual avoidance of work, or inactivity, indolence, etc. to idle away the hours
  • Dally suggests spending time in trifling or frivolous pursuits or in indecision
  • Dawdle implies a wasting of time over trifles or a frittering away of time that makes for slow progress to dawdle over a cup of tea
  • Loiter implies aimlessness or slowness of movement and may suggest a wasting of time in lingering or lagging to loiter around street corners
Find another word for loiter. In this page you can discover 66 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for loiter, like: linger, linger idly, dawdle, dally, idle, lag, saunter, stroll, delay, shuffle and waste-time.

Sentence Examples

  • We loiter in winter while it is already spring.

  • "He will know how to make good use of the treasure," added Jack Frost; then he told the fairies not to loiter by the way, but to do his bidding quickly.

  • On most ships, passengers who allow their children to loiter in adult only venues may be reprimanded, fined, or otherwise admonished.

  • No longer do they have to relentlessly troll through trade magazine classifieds, loiter around the commissary bulletin boards, or rely on the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend to spill the latest rumors about movie casting calls.

  • loiter on the streets.

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Words that mention loiter in the Dictionary

Words near loiter in the Thesaurus