A loafer is a type of slip-on shoe with no laces, buckles, or straps. You simply slide your foot in and you're ready to go. Loafers sit somewhere between sneakers and dress shoes: more polished than athletic shoes but more comfortable and casual than formal footwear. They're popular precisely because they combine convenience with a neat appearance.

Some loafers have decorative stitching across the top, while others feature a small strap with a diamond-shaped cutout. You might wear loafers to school, to a nice dinner, or anywhere you want to look put-together without the fuss of tying laces.

The word loafer can also describe a person who avoids work or wastes time doing nothing useful. If your parents say you've been loafing around all afternoon, they mean you've been idle when you could have been doing something productive. This meaning connects to the shoe: both suggest a relaxed, easygoing approach, though in the case of a person, it usually means too relaxed.