DRIFTERS Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

drifters

noun

plural of drifter

as in nomads

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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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 drifters Most of these freelancers stayed in the Hotel Istanbul, which was home to a rotating cast of war tourists, jihadis, drifters, and spies. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 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 Babylon 5 followed the diplomats, soldiers, and drifters aboard the station, built as neutral ground between humans and a handful of alien civilizations teetering on the edge of war. — Jp Mangalindan, Entertainment Weekly, 6 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 Jellyfish are also passive drifters, meaning that they are often unintentionally carried towards shore by powerful ocean currents. — New Atlas, 30 June 2026 In a new study, University of Miami Rosenstiel School researchers found that sensors usually attached to sharks to investigate their behavior can also allow scientists to track temperature changes in parts of the oceans often inaccessible to satellites and drifters pulled by currents. — Jenny Staletovich, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026 The grocery survives thanks to passing bargemen and the drifters from the outskirts who frequent the café. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 May 2026 Detectives learned Lugo was the leader of a group made up of drifters and petty thieves who hung out at the Sun Gym. — Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifters

Noun

On the side streets, small stands sell bad food and plastic trinkets, while a few Travellers, Ireland’s indigenous nomads, work rival fortune-telling franchises.

— Susan Neiman, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Jason and his family are living like multiversal nomads, traveling to different worlds in search of a home, and this lets the show get into the nitty-gritty of how the box works and the rules for traveling between worlds.

— Andrew Webster, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of nomads

Noun

United earlier this year overhauled the way travelers earn miles to reward customers holding its credit cards.

— Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Airport officials say that the spacious new building has more amenities and provides travelers with a modern take on the iconic old Hollywood vibe they're known for.

— Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of travelers

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drifters

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“Drifters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifters. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of drifters

noun

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