as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
the drifter just packed up and moved on to the next dead-end job
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drifter
The road-trip movie sees Weaving as a small-town Southern woman swept away by a drifter (Kyle Gallner) who introduces her to a life of crime.
—
Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
And the trickster god Elegba, Orisha of the crossroads, stands between them, a wily ex-con buddy of Oshoosi’s — not bad, not good, a Mephistophelean drifter who secretly longs for the fraternal intimacy that is his friend’s by birthright.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Most of them were migrant workers, young drifters, and then some co-renters.
—Jack Hargreaves, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025
Young, unemployed family man Nick (MacKay) volunteers to take the boat back out, along with taciturn, new-in-town drifter Liam (Turner) and grizzled seadog Murgey (Francis Magee).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drifter
Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
And the trickster god Elegba, Orisha of the crossroads, stands between them, a wily ex-con buddy of Oshoosi’s — not bad, not good, a Mephistophelean drifter who secretly longs for the fraternal intimacy that is his friend’s by birthright.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Most of them were migrant workers, young drifters, and then some co-renters.
—Jack Hargreaves, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025
Young, unemployed family man Nick (MacKay) volunteers to take the boat back out, along with taciturn, new-in-town drifter Liam (Turner) and grizzled seadog Murgey (Francis Magee).
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drifter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifter
Noun
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Sometimes, though, nomads fall in love with a new country and want to stay forever.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Oct. 2025
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These friends, all Amazigh (Berber) nomads, have embarked on a musical voyage to celebrate their roots and share the richness of their heritage with the world.—
Jake Richardson,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her obituary stated that Halbach was also a volleyball coach and an avid traveler.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Leaving the preparation of nourishing, healthy meals in the hands of a professional is among the greatest luxuries for travelers today.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Stargazers hoping to catch a glimpse of C/2025 R2 (SWAN) should read our roundups of the best binoculars and telescopes for viewing the night sky, while those looking to image the wanderer should read our guide to imaging a solar system comet with a DSLR camera.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Already, some skywatchers have caught sight of these icy wanderers.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Animals that are kennel-trained will likely be pleased to be in their cozy confines and away from the bustle of vacuums, mops, and the like, but for those who are roamers, consider gating off an area for them.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drifter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifter. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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