drifter

noun

drift·​er ˈdrif-tər 

: one that drifts

especially : one that travels or moves about aimlessly

Synonyms of drifter

• nomad
• wanderer
• traveler
• roamer
• wayfarer
• vagabond

Examples of drifter in a Sentence

He was a drifter who hitchhiked from state to state.

the drifter just packed up and moved on to the next dead-end job

Recent Examples on the Web

Saints follows Lali, a drifter and a thief, who is pulled back to Barcelona to face and care for her estranged mother Gloria. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Two mysterious drifters never speak; their inner monologues carry us across absurdist one-liners, weird tales, and stream-of-consciousness musings. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

The stakes are as jacked as Reacher’s biceps in the fourth installment of the series, which finds the heroic drifter at the center of a sprawling conspiracy involving terrorism, government agencies, and powerful political figures. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

According to Rouse, the album grew out of observations gathered while traveling, with its songs populated by drifters, dreamers and fleeting encounters that blur the line between fiction and autobiography. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drifter

• lifter
• shifter
• sifter
• swifter

Kids Definition

drifter

noun

drift·​er ˈdrif-tər 

: one that drifts

especially : a person who travels about without purpose