: one that drifts
especially
: one that travels or moves about aimlessly
Synonyms of drifter
Examples of drifter in a Sentence
He was a drifter who hitchhiked from state to state.
the drifter just packed up and moved on to the next dead-end job
Recent Examples on the Web
The men and women under his employ were a rag-tag gang of dreamers and drifters, brought together by a love for adventure, a disdain for the society that had thrown their friends away in Vietnam, and a desire to spread the gospel of ganja.
—
Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Poitier stars as Homer Smith, a drifter who turns up in a small Arizona town and helps a group of nuns construct a chapel for the local community.
—Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
The film follows Kai (Moore), a drifter who gets stuck in a desert town during a global shortage of clean water.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Its third and weakest season pitted the titular mountain-size vigilante drifter against an even bigger guy, so finding Ritchson a scary-looking specimen of mecha to fight is a logical progression.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drifter
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Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Poitier stars as Homer Smith, a drifter who turns up in a small Arizona town and helps a group of nuns construct a chapel for the local community.
—Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
The film follows Kai (Moore), a drifter who gets stuck in a desert town during a global shortage of clean water.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Its third and weakest season pitted the titular mountain-size vigilante drifter against an even bigger guy, so finding Ritchson a scary-looking specimen of mecha to fight is a logical progression.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drifter
Cite this Entry
“Drifter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drifter. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drifter
noun
drift·er
ˈdrif-tər 
: one that drifts
especially
: a person who travels about without purpose
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