loafer

noun

ˈlō-fər How to pronounce loafer (audio)
Definition of loafernext
as in slug
a lazy person an incorrigible loafer who never accomplished anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loafer
  1. slug
  2. drone
  3. bum
  4. snail
  5. idler
  6. slouch
  7. sluggard
  8. layabout
Noun
  • These beneficial predators spend the winter under leaves, emerging in spring to feed on common garden pests such as aphids, slugs and mites.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Home runs are king in the postseason, but that’s where Caminero comes in, with Liam Hicks, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda also offering some slug.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • The team collected samples and filmed the plume with an underwater drone to make a three-dimensional map.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Full service was being restored at the end of last week, but Zelenskyy said Monday that the restrictions are still slowing Ukraine's drones along the front.
    — SAMYA KULLAB, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drone
Noun
  • Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal.
    — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The silhouette was heavily elongated, with three-quarter-length jackets and argyle knitwear that covered the bum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • While the imagery around the show was overtly erotic, from the footage of mating snails and kissing bodies to the music and the projections, the clothes themselves were less about baring skin than creating a sense of sensuality.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Similarly, snail shells almost always spiral in the same direction for every snail species.
    — Mallory Green, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of snail
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
  • The Indians are no slouches on the defensive side either with Sedrick Marsh (Kansas State), linebacker Carmelo Clawson and safety JayQuan Snell (Texas A&M).
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Nobody slouches in a great suit like West, and nobody scowls in a gorgeous coat like Miller.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of slouch
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
  • And yet suddenly Liam the layabout, Liam the bozo, Liam the irresponsible clown is in his element.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Marlon's Shorty Meeks is in his 25th year of high school, but has made millions as a layabout live-streamer.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 June 2026
Definition of layabout
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.

Browse Nearby Words

loafed
loafer
loafers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loafer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loafer. Accessed 21 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 jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All