# loiter

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈlɔɪtə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #60,934

## Definitions
1. To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly.
2. To stroll about without any aim or purpose, to ramble, to wander.
3. To remain at a certain place instead of moving on.
4. For an aircraft to remain in the air near a target.

## Etymology
From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German Lotterbube (“rascal”). More at lout, little.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/loiter