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

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

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2024

To some, he was a rollicking drifter in ragamuffin punk tatters.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

McCandless had tried to disguise the fact that he was a drifter living out of a backpack: He told his fellow employees that he lived across the river in Laughlin.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer