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Definitions

drifter

[drif-ter] / ˈdrɪf tər /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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A swaggering drifter named Hal Carter arrives in town looking for work, and by sunset he has thrown the community, especially the fragile Madge Owens, into emotional turmoil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Benji, something of a chatty drifter, has never quite found himself, at least not by David’s standards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024

To some, he was a rollicking drifter in ragamuffin punk tatters.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2023

It might have helped if Siff had a sturdier partner, but Alexander’s wan emo sensibility lacks the haunted charisma of a sexy drifter attempting to move on from his past.

From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

Or it could be a drifter who had come through town and they’d buried him where he’d dropped dead.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

In “Moby-Dick,” Herman Melville describes Nantucket as an “ant hill in the sea,” an isolated outpost for whalers and drifters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Juliette Lewis has played murderers, drifters, alcoholics, punk rockers, Reiki healers and roller-derby captains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

Kristofferson turned that tale into the story of two drifters, who find love on the road and are separated, eventually, by death.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2024

He welcomed her into his commune of misfits and drifters, which called itself the Family and coalesced at a ranch outside of Los Angeles, where she found herself captivated by his wild-eyed charisma.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2023

Mom was like a saint, friendly to everyone in the neighborhood, including the homeless, the troubled, random drifters.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana




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