drifter

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.

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

A drifter and petty criminal, he had spent much of his time between 2000 and 2017 in the Algarve.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025

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

This drifter comes in and says there is nothing wrong with this Asian family, and folks should resist groupthink.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2024

McCandless had tried to disguise the fact that he was a drifter living out of a backpack: He told his fellow employees that he lived across the river in Laughlin.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer