layabouts

noun

plural of layabout
as in slugs
a lazy person she regretted ever asking that layabout to be her roommate, as he created the mess of two people and refused to help with anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 layabouts And typically, Wegmann added, those units are occupied by productive, working adults, not layabouts or career criminals leeching off the system, as the old narrative goes. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2026 As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026 Not surprisingly, some colonists preferred to be layabouts. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layabouts
  1. slugs
  2. drones
  3. bums
  4. snails
  5. deadbeats
  6. loafers
Noun
  • Families can learn about slugs, spiders, vultures and more during Creepy Critters Month at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, a park district news release said.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of slugs
Noun
  • Today, however, the current uses include drones that help ICE track immigrants, cyber attacks, and mass surveillance.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The cost of mass-producing drones is several times cheaper than that of more exquisite equipment and technology.
    — Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of drones
Noun
  • Within the often zany and slapstick realm of Bob’s Burgers, Tina still manages to steal the show with her singular voice, romantic fantasies, and obsessions with unicorns and boy bums.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Kennedy’s Albany is a vital, violent place, a hothouse of gangsters, pool hustlers, bums, crooked politicians, and showgirls.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bums
Noun
  • The inflatable horses, butterflies, snails and other creatures were made by the New York artist and designer Katie Stout.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Aquarium officials received some 500 marine animals from that operation on June 19, taking in an array of fish, sharks, clams, shrimp, prawns and tiny snails.
    — John Donegan LONG BEACH POST, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of snails
Noun
  • In the film Rap World (which Bensinger also edited), Bensinger, O’Malley, and Rahill play suburban deadbeats eager to make an album, each man waylaid by his own hubris and distractions.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Housing prices and rents are inflated by restrictive zoning laws, union work and pay scale mandates, excessive building codes and environmental requirements, litigation and planning process delays, anti-landlord policies that favor deadbeats and squatters, and the list goes on.
    — Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of deadbeats
Noun
  • Wear them with your favorite vintage tee and sneakers or a polo tee and loafers for a casual ensemble, or slip on a sleek blouse and kitten heels for a night out with friends.
    — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Men’s suede loafers and relaxed sandals offer a transition from formal to casual summer dressing.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of loafers

Browse Nearby Words

layabout
layabouts
lay an egg
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Layabouts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layabouts. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All