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Synonyms

drifter

American  
[drif-ter] / ˈdrɪf tər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that drifts.

  2. a person who goes from place to place, job to job, etc., remaining in each for a short period.

  3. Also called drift boat.  a boat used in fishing with a drift net.

drifter British  
/ ˈdrɪftə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that drifts

  2. a person who moves aimlessly from place to place, usually without a regular job

  3. a boat used for drift-net fishing

  4. nautical a large jib of thin material used in light breezes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of drifter

First recorded in 1860–65; drift + -er 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.