drifters

Noun (1)

drifter (plural drifters)

1. (derogatory, sometimes) A person who moves from place to place or job to job.
   • There are drifters painting beside you / They don't see the future that I do2009, Aleisha Eagle, “The Quittin' Kind”, in Neither Here Nor There
2. A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.
   • In winds above 10 knots we usually run wing-and-wing with our 100 percent lapper set on a whisker pole opposite the mainsail. As the wind drops, we get out the drifter and set it flying to leeward (Fig. 1).1995, Ken Textor, The New Book of Sail Trim, page 85
3. A driver who uses driving techniques to modify vehicle traction to cause a vehicle to slide or power slide rather than drive in line with the tires.
   • However, sensing the available traction may actually be more important to a drifter.2006, Paul Morton, How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer, page 32
4. A parachutist who jumps before the rest of the group to determine wind direction.
   • As we circled the area, the Dakota appeared and dropped a drifter.1948, Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, volume 75, page 557
5. (historical) A person employed in driving in rock other than coal.

Noun (2)

drifter (plural drifters)

1. One who takes part in drift fishing.

See all 7 meanings of drifter