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

But rest assured, the real Bialik promises that the fake Bialik is a not a violent stalker. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 13 Jan. 2025

For her performance as the stalker Martha in the addictive Netflix series Baby Reindeer, Gunning beat out her fellow nominees to win Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Television Series. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025

Funniest lines in acceptance speeches Jessica Gunning won TV’s best supporting female actor award for playing a stalker in Baby Reindeer. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025

Indeed, there is plenty of speculation as to whether this unlikely internet celebrity — who declined to share any identifying information, lest his girlfriend of only five weeks learn about Steve — is in fact a stalker of some kind. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2