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

When aerial photos are leaked of the couple in Zach’s pool and a stalker takes aim at Zoe, re-creating creepy scenes from her first novel, her idea has a plot that presents both legal and romantic dilemmas. —Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024

On next-gen AirTags, Apple is rumored to make the speaker difficult to remove so that stalkers can't use it as easily. —Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024

The institution marked out one show to give extra recognition, with Netflix stalker drama Baby Reindeer given the AFI Special Award. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

Love Actually director Richard Curtis admits the 'stalker scene' is 'a bit weird' 07 of 20 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) A Willy Wonka-esque inventor brings magical toys to life in this exuberant Victorian steampunk fable. —EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2