Definition

Verb: - To prowl about, to loiter, to hang around: To move around repeatedly near a specific place in a manner that seems suspicious, stealthy, or not straightforward, often with an unclear or private purpose. It implies lingering without a clear, legitimate reason.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mấy tên lưu manh lảng vảng ở sân ga. (A few thugs were prowling about / loitering at the train station.)
  • Có người lạ mặt khả nghi lảng vảng gần khu vực mình. (A suspicious stranger was hanging around near our area.)
  • Đừng có lảng vảng trước cổng nhà người ta như thế. (Don't loiter in front of people's gates like that.)

Advanced Usage

• "lảng vảng quanh": to prowl/loiter around (a specific place).
  • Một bóng đen lảng vảng quanh ngôi nhà hoang. (A dark figure was prowling around the abandoned house.)
• The word often carries a negative connotation, suggesting the person's presence is unwelcome, stealthy, or connected to potential mischief or danger.

Variants and Related Words

• Lảng (verb): to wander off, to stray; can imply moving away aimlessly or evasively.
  • Nó lảng ra chỗ khác khi thấy tôi. (He wandered off to another spot when he saw me.)
• Vảng (rarely used alone): This is a descriptive element often paired with "lảng" to form the reduplicative verb "lảng vảng," emphasizing the repetitive, lingering action.

Synonyms

• Đi quanh quẩn: to hang around, to loiter.
• Lén lút đi lại: to move about stealthily.
• Nấn ná: to linger, to dawdle (may have a less suspicious connotation).

Related Phrases

• Ăn không ngồi rồi đi lảng vảng: To be idle and go loitering about.
  • Thằng bé suốt ngày ăn không ngồi rồi đi lảng vảng trong xóm. (That boy is idle all day and goes loitering around the neighborhood.)

Notes on Meaning

• The primary meaning involves suspicious or aimless lingering. It is not used for simple waiting or standing still.
• It often describes the behavior of people with bad intentions (like thieves, stalkers) or those behaving oddly.
• The word paints a picture of someone moving slowly or intermittently within a limited area, creating a sense of unease or threat.

verb

1. to prowl about