Crossword Genius

Drifter drew near unsteadily (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

wanderer

'drifter' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'drew near unsteadily' is the wordplay.
'unsteadily' is an anagram indicator.
'drew'+'near'='drewnear'
'drewnear' is an anagram of 'WANDERER'.

(Other definitions for wanderer that I've seen before include "Aimless traveller" , "Errand we run for rover" , "Peripatetic" , "Nomad" , "Errand we entrust to one who roams" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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