as in lingering
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Dissimilar Words
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loitering
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
Suddenly three hours are gone and the fans are loitering around each chef’s station, ready to get their grub on.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Complaints included allegations of reckless driving, a cat being run over and vehicles loitering in neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
In this role, attack choppers could be modified to highly maneuverable launch platforms for loitering munitions.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
Suddenly three hours are gone and the fans are loitering around each chef’s station, ready to get their grub on.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Complaints included allegations of reckless driving, a cat being run over and vehicles loitering in neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loitering
Adjective
-
Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Footage shared by Sky News showed the animal crawling up onto the eatery's counter.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Martha Stewart, however—perhaps the least likely superstar to do so—is poking holes in that fantasy, giving us an iconic new selfie that feels wildly relatable to anyone familiar with the mayhem of getting ready.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Paul, who co-created the Apple TV+ series and drew from season one for the musical’s script and score, performs a dexterous trick, poking fun at the form’s many ridiculous tropes with an unmistakably affectionate hand.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even before the Iran war, stockpiles had been drained by lethargic manufacturing and munitions donations to Ukraine and Israel.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The rescue group reported he was dehydrated and lethargic.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Every once in a while, the TV would display the now ubiquitous images of Suspect One and Suspect Two, who had been caught by surveillance cameras, wearing backpacks and strolling near the finish line moments before the explosions.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
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And with its options for kayaking, standup paddleboarding, sailing, and waterskiing—plus a boardwalk for strolling and sandy beaches for relaxing—Mission Bay Park is a great spot for active families.—
Kara Williams,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Any subdomain found to be inactive should have its CNAME removed.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Sitting Too Much Living a mostly inactive lifestyle is linked to chronic inflammation.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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