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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America used to be a nation of nomads.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
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The Wind Traders, for example, are nomads who live in the sky, and their culture and lifestyle are clearly represented in their clothes.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These ancient wanderers, like comet 3I/ATLAS, are cosmic time capsules.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
9 Feb. 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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The traveler confessed to extorting others to commit self-harm, the memo said.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Rhode Island tops a new study based on real traveler reviews, beating out Texas, New York, and Washington for romantic charm.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 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,
31 Aug. 2025
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 14 Feb. 2026.
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