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

Actress Sharon Gless was the first to step into the stage shoes of stalker Annie Wilkes during a 1993 test-out of the script adaptation in London. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

This was on top of a back injury that aggravated her start to 2025 and a seriously unsettling stalker incident during the Dubai Tennis Championships last month. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

The episode comes a little more than a month after a stalker was removed from a match being played by 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in Dubai. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The actress, who has nabbed a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Critics Choice Award for her role as stalker Martha in Baby Reindeer, took home the SAG award for female actor in a TV movie or limited series, on Sunday. —Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 24 Feb. 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