drifter

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɪftə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɪftɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɪftə(ɹ)

From drift (verb) +‎ -er.

drifter (plural drifters)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A person who moves from place to place or job to job.
   • 2009, Aleisha Eagle (lyrics and music), “The Quittin' Kind”, in Neither Here Nor There‎^[1]:

     There are drifters painting beside you / The don't see the future that I do

2. (nautical) A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.
   • 1995, Ken Textor, The New Book of Sail Trim, page 85:

     In winds above 10 knots we usually run wing-and-wing with our 100 percent lapper set on a whisker pole opposite the mainsail. As the wind drops, we get out the drifter and set it flying to leeward (Fig. 1).

   • 1999, Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey, Cost Conscious Cruiser: Champagne Cruising on a Beer Budget:

     After trying a variety of light-wind sails, we've found the most versatile and simple one to be a nylon drifter.

   • 2000, Jim Howard, Charles J. Doane, Handbook of Offshore Cruising, page 178:

     Some people recommend a medium- to lightweight 140- or 150-percent headsail, and others go for a drifter/reacher.

3. (automotive) A driver who uses driving techniques to modify vehicle traction to cause a vehicle to slide or power slide rather than drive in line with the tires.
   • 2006, Paul Morton, How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer, page 32:

     However, sensing the available traction may actually be more important to a drifter.

   • 2007, Calvin Wan, Calvin Wan's Drifting Performance Handbook, page 132:

     For professional drifters looking for even more fine-tuning of their suspension setups, some companies offer more advanced two-way adjustable shocks […]

   • 2009, Michael Bender, The Fast, the Fraudulent and the Fatal, page 50:

     While this method is used by a few drifters in rear-wheel drive cars, this technique is really the only way one can drift in a front-wheel drive car.

4. (parachuting) A parachutist who jumps before the rest of the group to determine wind direction.
   • 1948, Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, volume 75, page 557:

     As we circled the area, the Dakota appeared and dropped a drifter.

   • 1962, Queen's Medical Magazine, volumes 54-55, page 31:

     […] a circling Beverley dropped parachutists in small groups — a few hard words were said about R.A.F. organisation. The time came at last for the first four to get into the balloon car. First out was a drifter — an experienced parachutist who jumps first to assess conditions by allowing himself to drift at random.

5. (mining, historical) A person employed in driving in rock other than coal.

From drift (noun) +‎ -er.

drifter (plural drifters)

1. (fishing) One who takes part in drift fishing.
2. (fishing) A boat used for drift fishing.

• drift fishing
• drift net

• drifter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Drift netting on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

drifter

1. indefinite plural of drift