Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who moves from place to place without a fixed home or job: A drifter is someone who wanders, often without a clear purpose or permanent destination, and typically lacks a stable source of income or a settled life.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The old man was a gentle drifter who traveled across the country by hopping freight trains.
  • After losing his job, he lived as a drifter for several years, taking odd jobs wherever he could find them.
  • The novel tells the story of a young drifter searching for meaning in the American West.

Advanced Usage

• "To live the life of a drifter": To adopt a lifestyle characterized by constant movement and lack of permanent ties.
  • He decided to sell everything and live the life of a drifter, exploring the world with just a backpack.

Variants and Related Words

• Drift (verb): To be carried along by currents of air or water; to move or live without a fixed course or purpose.
  • The boat began to drift away from the shore.
  • He seemed to drift from one job to another.

Synonyms

• Wanderer: A person who travels aimlessly.
• Nomad: A member of a people with no permanent home who move according to the seasons.
• Vagrant: A person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging.
• Transient: A person who is staying or working in a place for only a short time.

Related Phrases

• To drift apart: (Phrasal Verb) To gradually become less close or connected to someone.
  • After college, the old friends slowly drifted apart.
• To drift off: (Phrasal Verb) To fall asleep gradually.
  • I drifted off while listening to the rain.

Noun

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