A person who is continually moving from place to place, without a fixed home or job. After losing his job, he became a drifter, traveling from town to town in search of work.
A fishing boat that uses drift nets. The drifter returned to the harbor with a large catch of fish.
An object or instrument designed to float with currents for the purpose of measuring or monitoring water or air movement. Oceanographers released several drifters to track the path of the Gulf Stream.