flaneur

noun

fla·​neur flä-ˈnər How to pronounce flaneur (audio)
variants or less commonly flâneur
: an idle man-about-town

Examples of flaneur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
San Juan, Puerto Rico With its blue cobblestoned streets and homes splashed with cheery pastel colors, Old San Juan is a flaneur’s paradise. Amanda Eyre Ward, Bon Appétit, 19 Mar. 2025 Paris, city of the flaneur, who walks, will soon stand out as the city of the baigneur, who swims. Amy Verner, Vogue, 17 July 2024 These best-selling books display the trenchant wit of a flaneur strolling through Babylon. Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 19 Oct. 2022 In its narrowest definition, a flaneur is simply someone who wanders. Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022 But the hotel offers plenty of alternatives to dropping your euros, including a Dior spa, a calming pool, and a ground-floor terrace bar for prime flaneur-watching, all designed by LVMH favorite Peter Marino and realized by his squad of about 600 French artisans. Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

French flâneur

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flaneur was in 1854

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flaneur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaneur. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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