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

In the memoir, with a brave sense of humor that doesn’t gloss over fear, Ms. Mulvaney recounts fending off paparazzi, arming herself with a kitchen knife for fear of a stalker, navigating death threats and thoughts of suicide. —Maggie Lange, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025

The seven-part stalker drama, created by and starring Richard Gadd, was a standout at this past year’s Emmys, with additional awards won in Outstanding Limited Series and Writing for a Limited Series, and also brought Gunning a Golden Globe, among other accolades. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025

Cook, despite his experience with the stalker, appears to cost Apple less than other major Silicon Valley companies for security: $820,309 last year, the Cupertino company reported. —Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024

Live location tracking could be misused by stalkers or those with bad intentions. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 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