nightwalker

noun

night·​walk·​er ˈnīt-ˌwȯ-kər How to pronounce nightwalker (audio)
plural nightwalkers
1
: a person who roams about at night especially with criminal intent
2
: sex worker
especially : one who solicits in the streets

Examples of nightwalker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sulca joined the local ronda—night patrols formed by peasants to protect their communities from the Shining Path—whom Quechua speakers call tuta puriqkuna, nightwalkers, a term also used to describe Spaniards during colonial times. Rachel Nolan, Harper's magazine, 24 June 2019 Eliot Schrefer’s new Lost Rainforest series casts sunset as nature’s own Mason-Dixon line, dividing animal kind into daywalkers and nightwalkers — two factions with a xenophobic fear of one another. Christopher Healy, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2018 Because the one thing nightwalkers and daywalkers agree on is that shadowwalkers are an abomination of nature. Christopher Healy, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nightwalker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nightwalker was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near nightwalker

Cite this Entry

“Nightwalker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nightwalker. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

nightwalker

noun
night·​walk·​er ˈnīt-ˌwȯ-kər How to pronounce nightwalker (audio)
: a person who roams about at night soliciting others for illicit sexual acts
often preceded by common

More from Merriam-Webster on nightwalker

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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