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

The stalker, known as Fake Tegan, or Fegan, had very sensitive information like passport scans, intimate photos, and their mother’s hospital information. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 18 Oct. 2024

Stephen is pure toxic masculine evil in baggy jeans, carrying on a secret relationship with a wide-eyed Lucy over the show’s first season — only to dump her at its end and frame her as a lovesick stalker. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024

This stalker is a security guard, a professional in the art of paying close attention. —Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024

Guiding me into the highlands for red deer, a 300-pound ungulate that lives above timberline amid the picturesque heather, is John Caithness, an affable fifty-something veteran stalker who knows the many hidden coulees and pastures of the estate where stags tend to frequent. —Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2