stalker
/'stɔ:kə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A person who follows or observes someone persistently and secretly, often in a threatening or harassing manner: A "stalker" is someone who engages in the act of stalking, which involves unwanted and obsessive attention towards another person.
- A person who hunts game by stealthy approach: In the context of hunting, a "stalker" is someone who tracks or pursues wild animals carefully and quietly.
- A person who walks with long, stiff, or haughty strides: This is a more archaic or literary meaning, describing someone who walks in a proud, stiff, or deliberate manner.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Person who follows/harasses):
- The celebrity hired extra security due to a persistent stalker.
- She obtained a restraining order against her stalker.
- Noun (Hunter):
- The experienced stalker moved silently through the forest, tracking the deer.
- Noun (Person who walks stiffly):
- In the old portrait, the nobleman stood like a proud stalker.
Advanced Usage
- "Cyberstalker": A person who uses the internet or electronic means to stalk or harass someone.
- The police warned about the dangers of cyberstalkers on social media platforms.
- The term is often used in legal and psychological contexts to describe a pattern of behavior that causes fear.
Variants and Related Words
- Stalk (verb): To follow or observe a person or animal persistently and secretively.
- He was arrested for attempting to stalk his former colleague.
- Stalking (noun): The act or crime of following and harassing another person.
- Stalking is a serious offense with severe legal consequences.
Synonyms
- Prowler: Someone who moves about stealthily, especially with intent to commit a crime.
- Harasser: A person who subjects someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation.
- Tracker: A person who follows the tracks or signs of someone or something (closer to the hunting sense).
Related Phrases
- To have a stalker: To be the target of stalking behavior.
- She feared she might have a stalker after noticing the same car outside her house every night.
Related Idioms
- "Like a stalker in the night": This phrase evokes the stealthy, threatening, and secretive behavior associated with a stalker.
- The fog crept into the village like a stalker in the night.
Noun
- someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions
- someone who stalks game
- someone who walks with long stiff strides