lurker

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who reads or observes an online community without posting or participating

   After months as a lurker, she finally introduced herself to the forum.

2. 2
   noun

   a person who remains hidden, waits secretly, or moves about unnoticed

   A watchman reported a lurker on the stairs after midnight.

Formed from lurk + the agent suffix -er, originally naming someone who stays concealed. The online-community sense preserves the same image: the user is present and watching but remains unseen because they do not contribute.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images