Loiter Definition
loitər
loitered, loitering, loiters
verb
loitered, loitering, loiters
To linger in an aimless way; spend time idly.
Webster's New World
To spend (time) idly.
Loitered away the day.
Webster's New World
To violate a law or ordinance that prohibits persons from remaining in a given location without a clear purpose for an extended period of time, especially when behaving in a manner indicating a possible threat to persons or property in the vicinity.
American Heritage
To walk or move slowly and indolently, with frequent stops and pauses; often, specif., to linger aimlessly in a public place.
Webster's New World
To hover over or remain near an area.
Fog loitered over the mountains. A jet loitered in the sky near the airbase.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
Origin of Loiter
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From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren (“to shake, wag, wobble"), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lÅ«tanÄ… (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline"), see lout. Cognate with Modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle"), Swiss German lottern (“to wobble"), German Lotterbube (“rascal"). More at lout, little.
From Wiktionary
Middle English loitren probably from Middle Dutch loteren to totter, be loose
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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