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

This means your full name, home address, email, and phone number are available to anyone, including scammers and stalkers. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025

Holly Gibney is back on the case, this time facing both a serial killer and a stalker. —The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025

Stay safe As far as safety is concerned, one thing people don’t think about is that a lot of people in the public eye — especially women, and people of color — get threats and have stalkers and have to spend a lot of money, time, and mental labor to feel safe. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2025

The music is from this Los Angeles band called the Rescues that I’m obsessed with to the point of being a stalker. —Brent Lang, Variety, 3 June 2025

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