stalker

noun

stalk·​er ˈstȯ-kər 

plural stalkers

1

: a person who stalks : a person who pursues someone obsessively and aggressively to the point of harassment

celebrity stalkers

In 1990, California was the first state to pass a stalking law that made it a crime to follow, threaten, or harass someone—especially if the stalker threatened violence.

—George

Eighty-seven percent of stalkers are men. Women tend to be victimized by lone male stalkers whom they know, while men are more likely to be stalked by strangers, and half of male victims' stalkers had an accomplice.

—Matthew Klein

2

: a person or animal that pursues quarry or prey stealthily

a deer stalker

Though I catch my share of trout, I do it by being a good stalker and knowing where the fish lie …

—Bill Barich

Polar bears are superb stalkers, and have a way of suddenly appearing heart-stoppingly close.

—John P. Wiley, Jr.

Examples of stalker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Historically, mile-and-a-quarter races at Saratoga have favored, first, in style, front-runners and stalkers rather than deep closers such as Golden Tempo — bringing a late run at Saratoga just leaves too much to do in the thunderous chase to the wire. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

After surviving an encounter with a stalker, Rayna was involved in a car crash that left her hospitalized. —Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026

Sabrina Carpenter has reportedly been granted a restraining order against an alleged stalker. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 2 June 2026

On Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen’s Charlie Harper got pushed in front of a Paris train by his stalker girlfriend. —Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for stalker

• blocker
• chalker
• cocker
• docker
• hawker
• hocker
• knocker
• locker
• mocker
• ocher
• rocker
• shocker