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
Namir Smallwood stars opposite Coon as Peter, a paranoid former soldier and mysterious drifter who meets her character Agnes, a lonely waitress.
—
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
That’s our friend behind the counter, a drifter with an alcoholic mother, who’s a big character in the local scene.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
His curiosity is mirrored by that of Lewis Moon, a free-spirited drifter with both Cheyenne and Choctaw ancestry, who has been contracted by the government to drop bombs on the Niaruna, in an effort to scatter the tribe.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drifter
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
That’s our friend behind the counter, a drifter with an alcoholic mother, who’s a big character in the local scene.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
His curiosity is mirrored by that of Lewis Moon, a free-spirited drifter with both Cheyenne and Choctaw ancestry, who has been contracted by the government to drop bombs on the Niaruna, in an effort to scatter the tribe.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drifter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifter
Noun
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Another camp speculates that these forebears met human nomads on the trail of big game and started traveling with them, eventually arriving in China via Mongolia through their supporting role as war dogs.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Design devotees, creative professionals, and global nomads who value understatement over flash.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Unlike most comets, which originate in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, this icy wanderer formed around another star before drifting into our cosmic neighborhood.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Spader plays Graham, an enigmatic wanderer who inserts himself into the lives of his old friend John (Peter Gallagher), his wife Ann (Andie MacDowell) and her sister Cynthia (San Giacomo), drawing out all manner of confessions and revelations.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Once a favorite haunt of music legends, the hotel still sings today, attracting couples, musicians, and business travelers alike.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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The Dubai Airports website advises travelers not to proceed to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by their airlines.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Add in accessories like a matching leather clutch, boots, and wayfarer sunglasses to be styled to perfection.—
Ariel Bielsky,
InStyle,
1 Jan. 2026
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Our favorite budget sunnies for all outdoor activities, the Goodr OG is a wayfarer-style frame with lenses that cannot be beat for the price.—
Will Porter,
Outside,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drifter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifter. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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