DRIFTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does drifter mean? 

• DRIFTER (noun)
  The noun DRIFTER has 1 sense:

1. a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support

  Familiarity information: DRIFTER used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DRIFTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

clochard; drifter; floater; vagabond; vagrant

Hypernyms ("drifter" is a kind of...):

have-not; poor person (a person with few or no possessions)

bird of passage; roamer; rover; wanderer (someone who leads a wandering unsettled life)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "drifter"):

beachcomber (a vagrant living on a beach)

sundowner (a tramp who habitually arrives at sundown)

bum; hobo; tramp (a vagrant)

Derivation:

drift (move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment)

 Context examples 

To better understand the formation and evolution of polynyas, the scientists collected data from satellite images of sea ice cover, robotic drifters, and seals outfitted with sensors.

(Data from robotic drifters explain mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice, National Science Foundation)