as in lingering
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Dissimilar Words
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loitering
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Waymo robotaxis are getting ready to carry people around San Antonio, but their rollout has drawn concern from some residents who are creeped out by the cars loitering in their neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
Often, those efforts have focused on the issue of loitering for the purposes of prostitution.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
State television footage shows both systems engaging simulated quadcopters and loitering munitions flying at just 50 to 80 meters.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Waymo robotaxis are getting ready to carry people around San Antonio, but their rollout has drawn concern from some residents who are creeped out by the cars loitering in their neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
Often, those efforts have focused on the issue of loitering for the purposes of prostitution.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loitering
Adjective
-
Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The chamber is set to leave Washington for a two-week recess at the end of this week, but Thune has not ruled out delaying the break if the shutdown is not resolved.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The driver was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing or delaying an officer, police said.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Until Isaacman’s program makeover, Artemis III was crawling toward a moon landing no sooner than 2029.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One provider recommended a different formula, but Laura responded that her son was burning calories by kicking in his bed, crawling and wheeling around in his wheelchair.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
-
His father came around the corner in time to see his arms poking up above the rim, a cartoon character in need of rescue.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But right now, while the press is still bad and the lawsuits are still dragging, sellers should take a breath.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The SaaSpocalypse, ultimately, was a knee-jerk, existential reaction to where AI is (slowly, in many contexts) dragging the tech stack.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The 3-month-old girl spiked a fever two days earlier and had become lethargic.—
Patricia Callahan,
ProPublica,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The investigation began after a 4-month-old was taken to UPMC Washington after becoming unusually lethargic.—
Shelley Bortz,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the summer, strolling and biking along the four reservoirs completely reset my nervous system; in the winter, the water becomes a frozen playground where people of all ages build snowmen and figure skate to their heart’s content.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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In videos from the summit, the robot can be seen mechanically strolling next to the first lady, even welcoming all in the room in several different languages and waving its hand.—
Bruna Horvath,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
NewJeans, one of the most exciting and innovative recent K-pop groups, has been largely inactive since 2024 due to a baroque legal dispute with the HYBE subsidiary ADOR.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Baylor Scheierman and Payton Pritchard would be the top options to start if Brown and/or White are inactive.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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