Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

loiter

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of loiter

to move or act slowly
  • donʼt loiter in this neighborhood after dark
Synonyms of loiter

crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry
Words Related to loiter

fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge

amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll

decelerate, slow (down or up)

filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
Phrases Synonymous with loiter

drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
Near Antonyms of loiter

bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede

gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot

accelerate, quicken, speed (up)

catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake
Antonyms of loiter

barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

Synonym Discussion of loiter

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind. delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).
    • we cannot delay any longer
procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.
    • procrastinates about making decisions
lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.
    • lagging behind in technology
loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.
    • loitered at several store windows
    • children dawdling on their way home from school
dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.
    • stop dallying and get to work

Learn More about loiter

  1. See words that rhyme with loiter Dictionary: Definition of loiter Spanish Central: Translation of loiter Nglish: Translation of loiter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of loiter for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

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