stalker

noun

stalk·​er ˈstȯ-kər 

plural stalkers

1

: a person who stalks : a person who pursues someone obsessively and aggressively to the point of harassment

celebrity stalkers

In 1990, California was the first state to pass a stalking law that made it a crime to follow, threaten, or harass someone—especially if the stalker threatened violence.

—George

Eighty-seven percent of stalkers are men. Women tend to be victimized by lone male stalkers whom they know, while men are more likely to be stalked by strangers, and half of male victims' stalkers had an accomplice.

—Matthew Klein

2

: a person or animal that pursues quarry or prey stealthily

a deer stalker

Though I catch my share of trout, I do it by being a good stalker and knowing where the fish lie …

—Bill Barich

Polar bears are superb stalkers, and have a way of suddenly appearing heart-stoppingly close.

—John P. Wiley, Jr.

Examples of stalker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jessica Gunning stars as that alleged stalker, Martha, who the world learned is Harvey, a Scottish lawyer. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 June 2024

But there is some discrepancy in terms of how she was identified as the real-life stalker who inspired the show. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 June 2024

Neighbors said the man eventually spotted the coyote and yelled to scare away the stalker. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024

After all, someone had to flip the script on TV’s favorite stalker, Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg in You. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 7 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2