French word

zoner

Pronunciation

IPA/zone/

Meaning

  • verbhang around

Example

Le soir, il aime zoner dans la rue.

In the evening, he likes to hang around on the street.

Illustration for zoner (hang around)

More examples

Après les cours, il préfère zoner avec ses amis.

After class, he prefers to hang around with his friends.

Core concept

A person hanging around the streets or near a familiar place while simply letting time pass.

Common phrases

  • zoner dans le quartier

    hang around the neighborhood

  • zoner devant le café

    hang around in front of the cafe

Similar words

traîner: To hang around the same place or its surroundings without purpose.
flâner: To take a leisurely walk through town or a park and enjoy the scenery.
errer: To roam about without a destination in mind.

Definition in French

Terme familier qui désigne le fait de rester ou de traîner sans but précis dans un endroit public, souvent aux abords d'un lieu donné.

Word origin

The verb zoner comes from zone, an area or district, by adding the regular French verb ending -er.

Usage tips

  • Zoner is colloquial and can suggest idleness or nuisance, whereas flâner more often suggests leisurely wandering.

Other meanings

  • loiterverb
  • hang outverb

Opposites

Related words

  • zonezonenoun
  • zonézonedadjective

Word lists with this word