MEANING
To remain or move about without an evident immediate purpose or haste.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- loiter near a gate
- loiter in a passage
On the page
He loitered near the gate until the visitors left.
She loitered in the passage instead of returning to the meeting.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- loiter
- Past tense
- loitered
- Past participle
- loitered
- Present participle
- loitering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- loiter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are loitering
- Present perfect
- have/has loitered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been loitering
- Past
- loitered
- Past continuous
- was/were loitering
- Past perfect
- had loitered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been loitering
- Future
- will loiter
- Future continuous
- will be loitering
- Future perfect
- will have loitered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been loitering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: loiter; loiters; loitered; loitered; loitering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: loiters.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.