drifter

1. (sometimes derogatory) A person who moves from place to place or job to job.Examples: "There are drifters painting beside you / They don't see the future that I do"derogatorysometimes

2. (nautical) A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.Examples: "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)."; "After trying a variety of light-wind sails, we've found the most versatile and simple one to be a nylon drifter."; "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.Examples: "However, sensing the available traction may actually be more important to a drifter."; "For professional drifters looking for even more fine-tuning of their suspension setups, some companies offer more advanced two-way adjustable shocks […]"; "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.Examples: "As we circled the area, the Dakota appeared and dropped a drifter."; "[…] 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.historical