From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdrifterdrift‧er /ˈdrɪftə $ -ər/ noun [countable] 1 CHANGE FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHERsomeone who is always moving from one job or place to another with no real purpose2 TTWTAa fishing boat that uses a floating net
Examples from the Corpus
drifter• His grandfather was a drifter from New Mexico, who spent half his life brawling and drinking.• Maybe it was a drifter, a bushy-haired man.• A fire, probably started in the Casino to help keep the drifters warm, got out of hand.• The drifter shown is the original E.T version although there are now several other makes available. 