Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

nightwalker

noun
night·​walk·​er | \ˈnīt-ˌwȯ-kər \

Definition of nightwalker 

1 : a person who roams about at night especially with criminal intent

2 : prostitute, streetwalker

Examples of nightwalker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Eliot Schrefer’s new Lost Rainforest series casts sunset as nature’s own Mason-Dixon line, dividing animal kind into daywalkers and nightwalkers — two factions with a xenophobic fear of one another. — Christopher Healy, New York Times, "Fantasies for Young Readers, With an Eye on Today’s Fears and Divisions," 26 Jan. 2018 Because the one thing nightwalkers and daywalkers agree on is that shadowwalkers are an abomination of nature. — Christopher Healy, New York Times, "Fantasies for Young Readers, With an Eye on Today’s Fears and Divisions," 26 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nightwalker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of nightwalker

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about nightwalker

Share nightwalker

Statistics for nightwalker

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for nightwalker

The first known use of nightwalker was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for nightwalker

nightwalker

noun
night·​walk·​er | \ˈnīt-ˌwȯ-kər \

Legal Definition of nightwalker 

: a person who roams about at night soliciting others for illicit sexual acts —often preceded by common

More from Merriam-Webster on nightwalker

See words that rhyme with nightwalker

Comments on nightwalker

What made you want to look up nightwalker? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

tomfoolery

playful or foolish behavior

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Autumn Words of the Day 2018

  • a-top-down-image-of-road-through-an-autumn-forest
  • Which is a synonym of fugacious?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games