drifter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A swaggering drifter named Hal Carter arrives in town looking for work, and by sunset he has thrown the community, especially the fragile Madge Owens, into emotional turmoil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

“A man makes his choices,” Baldwin’s crusty, guilt-ridden drifter says to his grandkid at one point.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

An unearthed archive of an art lover's interviews with an ageing LS Lowry have revealed he saw himself as "a drifter" who knew a lot of people but "never had a girl".

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2024

This drifter comes in and says there is nothing wrong with this Asian family, and folks should resist groupthink.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2024

Or it could be a drifter who had come through town and they’d buried him where he’d dropped dead.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool