1
: one that avoids others: such as
a
: a person who is often alone or likes to be alone : someone who usually avoids the company of others
He is a moody loner who doesn't become chummy with anyone.—
Sam Moses
Sam MosesMany rowers will agree that sculling is a sport for loners who relish the more quixotic elements of the sport.—D. C. Churbuck
D. C. Churbuck… she found that the image of the scientist as an antisocial loner is a myth …—Warren E. Leary
Warren E. Leary
b
: a typically solitary animal
Black bears are loners and usually wander by themselves in search of food.—Mark Carwardine
Mark CarwardineDespite the fact they are loners, cats do have a well-organized social system based on scent marks and mutual avoidance.—Fiona Sunquist
Fiona SunquistExamples of loner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1974, loners obsessed with guns was not yet a profile commonly understood to signal a potential school shooter.
—Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
The loners and pariahs in Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines (Pantheon, $28) insist on sinking.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
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Black holes are the notorious loners of the universe since getting close to them usually means catastrophic destruction.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 June 2025
The tall Burr Johnson is often a loner in this group, gesturing and prancing, then suddenly swirling into larger-scale motion.
—Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for loner
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Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
The loners and pariahs in Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines (Pantheon, $28) insist on sinking.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
Black holes are the notorious loners of the universe since getting close to them usually means catastrophic destruction.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 June 2025
The tall Burr Johnson is often a loner in this group, gesturing and prancing, then suddenly swirling into larger-scale motion.
—Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for loner
Cite this Entry
“Loner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loner. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
loner
noun
lon·er
ˈlō-nər 
: one that avoids others
especially
: individualist sense 1
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