layabout

noun

ˈlā-ə-ˌbau̇t How to pronounce layabout (audio)
Definition of layaboutnext
as in slug
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

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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 layabout As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026 Tamma’s mother is partnered with a drug-dealing layabout; Dan’s mother, a onetime successful novelist, has a worsening heart condition. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026 Not surprisingly, some colonists preferred to be layabouts. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025 Moore’s then-husband Bruce Willis plays against-type as the abusive layabout husband of hairdresser Joyce (Glenne Headly). — Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for layabout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layabout
  1. slug
  2. drone
  3. bum
  4. deadbeat
  5. idler
  6. snail
  7. sluggard
  8. slouch
Noun
  • 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
  • Remember to bury the container deep enough to let the slugs in and out.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • Kuwait's army said its air defence systems were targeting hostile missile and drone attacks.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Three explosive-laden drones were found around the airport, one near a Ukrainian plane transporting munitions.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of drone
Noun
  • For families Apart from the family-sized villa estates and kid-friendly menus, Nihi has a host of activities that will please even the youngest beach bums.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And for any bum stuff Ted might want confidentially looked at.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • In the fight for the right to be yourself, there are a lot of barriers to being accepted as a female deadbeat.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Alas, there’s not enough time for this deadbeat to blossom into a real dad.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of deadbeat
Noun
  • Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite.
    — Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023
  • This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.
    — Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022
Definition of idler
Noun
  • Alluding to the attack only in the title, Anedda notes a few events showing the effects, patterns and tasks of an illustrator, the men seeking martyrdom, as well as the earthworms, gnats and the snail working the soil.
    — Wallis Wilde-Menozzi, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Scientists rescued 34 endangered humped tree snails from Guam by collecting them in empty peanut butter jars ahead of a powerful typhoon.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019
  • Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017
Definition of sluggard
Noun
  • Coincidentally, Hope and Possible Love are both on the South Korean Oscars shortlist, and though the former has the backing of International category heavyweight Neon, Possible Love comes from Netflix, no slouch either.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Softly structured with a hint of slouch, this is basically the blazer of my dreams.
    — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slouch

Browse Nearby Words

lay
layabout
layabouts
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Cite this Entry

“Layabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layabout. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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