LOITERING Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

loitering 1 of 2

adjective

as in lingering

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

loitering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of loiter

as in delaying

to move or act slowly don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of loitering

Adjective

Some victim advocates say human trafficking along Figueroa has escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of anti-loitering laws. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Verb

The rock kids, the funk kids, the disco-ers, the club rats are all fleetingly conjoined by one pair of highly attuned ears loitering on the streets. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Crowder was charged with one count of loitering with intent to commit a crime in connection with that incident. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 The company revealed that both the Containerized Missile Launcher and the FV-014 loitering munition system are in-house developments. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026 At the same time, Iran has reportedly modified another one of its Shahed series of loitering munitions based directly on combat lessons derived from Russia’s war on Ukraine. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 There was late-night noise, people drinking or lingering on the front steps of the residential building, and bar patrons blocking access to the apartment parking entrance and loitering around the nearby DASH bus stop. — Isaac Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 According to Metro officials, the transit has seen a nearly 60% drop in homeless people loitering over the past two years. — Tom Wait, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 The rocket body has been loitering lazily high above Earth for more than 18 months. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2026 The flies also spent far more time loitering outside the plume than inside it, even though nearly all their forward progress toward the source happened during those brief dips into the scent. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loitering

Adjective

Shohei Ohtani returned to the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday after four days off to address lingering aches, as the club effectively pauses its pitching program for the two-way star.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
No more distractions, no more lingering questions, just a baller who loves this sport and continues to level up.

— Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of lingering

Verb

The significance of the phase 3 data extends beyond delaying a recurrence, doctors said.

— Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
According to the county staff report, delaying repairs for a formal bidding process could increase the risk of additional sinkholes, ground collapse and property damage.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of delaying

Adjective

The national committee has faced a host of criticism from other Democrats for its lethargic fundraising, including calls for DNC Chair Ken Martin to step down that have so far gone unheeded.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
The show was also horribly paced, with way too many pointless instrumental spotlights that somehow managed to come across as both showy and lethargic at the same time.

— Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of lethargic

Verb

Prior to then, traffic was seen crawling on the eastbound side of the bridge heading into the city.

— Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawling

Adjective

Of the 200 records the county staff reviewed, 112 were associated with people whose registrations are canceled or inactive.

— Miles Parks, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
The office found that more than half — 112 — had been canceled or were inactive, meaning no ballot was sent to those voters.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of inactive

Verb

My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
In a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick, Hefner was already poking the bear in hopes of getting eyes on his event.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poking

Adjective

If there were any more life to the filmmaking, this tension could least be interesting, but the results are both perky and inert, unreal but entirely unmoored in time and space.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Plastic has long been considered chemically inert, but in a new lab study, tiny plastic particles in water spontaneously produced highly reactive molecules.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inert

Verb

Count seats against your guest list, then throw down floor cushions or a blanket pile instead of dragging in extra chairs.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Plus, because most wide-legs have longer inseams, a low heel prevents them from dragging on the ground.

— Eva Thomas, InStyle, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Browse Nearby Words

loiterers

loitering

loiters

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Style

“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of loitering

adjective

verb

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