layabout

noun

ˈlā-ə-ˌbau̇t How to pronounce layabout (audio)
Definition of layaboutnext
as in slug
a lazy person she regretted ever asking that layabout to be her roommate, as he created the mess of two people and refused to help with anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of layabout As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026 Tamma’s mother is partnered with a drug-dealing layabout; Dan’s mother, a onetime successful novelist, has a worsening heart condition. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026 Not surprisingly, some colonists preferred to be layabouts. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025 Moore’s then-husband Bruce Willis plays against-type as the abusive layabout husband of hairdresser Joyce (Glenne Headly). — Katie Rife, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for layabout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layabout
  1. slug
  2. drone
  3. bum
  4. deadbeat
  5. idler
  6. snail
  7. sluggard
  8. slouch
Noun
  • Mulch also helps suppress weeds and dissuades strawberry pests like slugs.
    — Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If your garden has been beset by destructive crawling insects like ants, beetles, and slugs, pesticides often seem like the clear solution.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • At least four vessels belonging to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company were attacked by drones and missiles in the strait last week alone, the company said.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Eck recorded the chase on a video camera attached to a drone in the HOV lane.
    — Mike Toole, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of drone
Noun
  • For families Apart from the family-sized villa estates and kid-friendly menus, Nihi has a host of activities that will please even the youngest beach bums.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And for any bum stuff Ted might want confidentially looked at.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • Alas, there’s not enough time for this deadbeat to blossom into a real dad.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • To track down her mother, Lila teams up with her deadbeat father for a journey that includes grudge-settling, Russian criminals, and corrupt politicians.
    — Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Definition of deadbeat
Noun
  • Their name exudes the essence of an idler and slacker, but women’s loafers themselves are quite the opposite.
    — Gaby Keiderling, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Jan. 2023
  • This represents the loss of an idea of what the capital should represent, the removal of a place that was an idler’s haven.
    — Anandi Mishra, The Atlantic, 30 July 2022
Definition of idler
Noun
  • Insects belong to the kingdom Animalia, along with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, octopuses, snails, jellyfish, worms, and many other groups.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Chicks, in particular, eat large quantities of high-protein insect larvae, beetles, flies, snails, spiders and ants.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • Scar then proceeds to desolate the kingdom, with the help of hyenas, while Simba, in exile, grows up to become a pleasure-hunting, grub-eating sluggard.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 19 July 2019
  • Clearly, supervision at your job is lax, and your sluggard classmate is taking advantage of that.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017
Definition of sluggard
Noun
  • Softly structured with a hint of slouch, this is basically the blazer of my dreams.
    — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • That said, the Galaxy Watch 9 is no slouch in terms of durability.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026
Definition of slouch

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Cite this Entry

“Layabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layabout. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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