lurker

noun

lurk·​er ˈlər-kər How to pronounce lurker (audio)
plural lurkers
1
: one that lies hidden in or as if in ambush
a lurker in the shadows
It troubled me that there should have been a lurker on the stairs, on that night of all nights in the year …Charles Dickens
2
: a person who reads messages on an Internet discussion forum or social media platform but does not contribute
Online fandom was a world where people were having conversations about the things they loved. For more than a decade, I was listening to the conversations, but I didn't say a word. I was a lurker.Elizabeth Minkel

Examples of lurker in a Sentence

suddenly, the mysterious lurker leapt out into the light!
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, Gahan adds that as more social media users become creators not lurkers, competition for eyeballs could become more fierce. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 TikTok’s duet and stitch features, which allow users to easily react and respond to other videos, can encourage lurkers to become content creators. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 For the first two decades of the social internet, lurkers ruled. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 But one small problem with that stat is that most of that growth is coming from lurkers, or users who are not logged into Reddit. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 May 2024 Some members are lurkers who joined to keep abreast of the conversation. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024 With 110 million buyers, sellers, collectors and lurkers roaming through Discogs every year, the 23-year-old online music marketplace’s forum threads are not exactly full of emotional support. Steve Knopper, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024 To an untutored lurker, the whole thing seemed like … a frickin’ ballet, or some less dainty choreography, a headlong dance of astounding precision. Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023 Working out at home has benefits, including exercising in the comfort of your home (hello, Cozy Cardio) or simply having privacy and not worrying about lurkers staring at you across from the gym from their treadmill. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lurker was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lurker

Cite this Entry

“Lurker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lurker. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!