stalker

noun

stalk·​er ˈstȯ-kər 

plural stalkers

1

: a person who stalks : a person who pursues someone obsessively and aggressively to the point of harassment

celebrity stalkers

In 1990, California was the first state to pass a stalking law that made it a crime to follow, threaten, or harass someone—especially if the stalker threatened violence.

—George

Eighty-seven percent of stalkers are men. Women tend to be victimized by lone male stalkers whom they know, while men are more likely to be stalked by strangers, and half of male victims' stalkers had an accomplice.

—Matthew Klein

2

: a person or animal that pursues quarry or prey stealthily

a deer stalker

Though I catch my share of trout, I do it by being a good stalker and knowing where the fish lie …

—Bill Barich

Polar bears are superb stalkers, and have a way of suddenly appearing heart-stoppingly close.

—John P. Wiley, Jr.

Examples of stalker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gadd adapted his one-man show about his experience with an obsessive fan for the Emmy-winning series set up at the streamer — which is now in litigation with Fiona Muir-Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration behind Jessica Gunning’s stalker character. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026

Ars has covered Russia’s testing of the Nivelir stalker satellites before. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026

Playing the charmingly unhinged Ingrid, an internet stalker of the highest order, Aubrey Plaza doesn't hit a false note. —Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026

Buckingham was recently attacked, but not injured, by an alleged stalker. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for stalker

• blocker
• chalker
• cocker
• docker
• hawker
• hocker
• knocker
• locker
• mocker
• ocher
• rocker
• shocker