beachcomber

noun

beach·​comb·​er ˈbēch-ˌkō-mər 

plural beachcombers

1

: a person who searches along a shore (as for seashells, driftwood, or salable refuse)

2

dated : a non-Indigenous person (such as a European castaway or convict) living as a drifter or loafer especially on the islands of the South Pacific (such as Micronesia)

beachcomb

ˈbēch-ˌkōm 

intransitive verb

beachcombed; beachcombing; beachcombs

Beachcombing for antique blue glass beads …

—Karl Luntta

My mother loved to beachcomb after high tide on stormy days …

—Motor Boating & Sailing

Examples of beachcomber in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wally Wheeler, the beachcomber who had found Claire's body, started writing long, odd letters to her parents. —Richard Schlesinger, CBS News, 6 July 2024

Local beachcombers found a deep-sea angler fish known as the Pacific football fish just south of Cannon Beach, Oregon, which is around an hour and a half drive northwest of Portland, said the Seaside Aquarium in a Facebook post on May 18. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024

To its west, 73 miles of Pacific coastline lure beachcombers and cold-water surfers to its sandy shores and marine life lovers to its teaming tide pools. —Jd Shadel, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2023

In May, beachcombers discovered a female deep-sea anglerfish washed up on the sand in Oregon. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

beachcomber

noun

beach·​comb·​er ˈbēch-ˌkō-mər 

1

: a drifter or loafer especially on a South Pacific island

2

: a person who searches along a beach (as for seashells or items to sell)