drifter

noun

drift·​er ˈdrif-tər 

: one that drifts

especially : one that travels or moves about aimlessly

Synonyms of drifter

• nomad
• wanderer
• traveler
• roamer
• wayfarer
• vagabond

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

Most of these freelancers stayed in the Hotel Istanbul, which was home to a rotating cast of war tourists, jihadis, drifters, and spies. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Saints follows Lali, a drifter and a thief, who is pulled back to Barcelona to face and care for her estranged mother Gloria. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Two mysterious drifters never speak; their inner monologues carry us across absurdist one-liners, weird tales, and stream-of-consciousness musings. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

The stakes are as jacked as Reacher’s biceps in the fourth installment of the series, which finds the heroic drifter at the center of a sprawling conspiracy involving terrorism, government agencies, and powerful political figures. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drifter

• lifter
• shifter
• sifter
• swifter

Kids Definition

drifter

noun

drift·​er ˈdrif-tər 

: one that drifts

especially : a person who travels about without purpose