Refers to a place where wind-blown material like snow, leaves, or dust accumulates. Often used literally for natural phenomena.
A drift of fallen leaves had formed in front of the entrance.
吹雪の後、家の北側に大きな雪の吹き溜まりができた。
After the blizzard, a large snowdrift formed on the north side of the house.
hangout for misfits; gathering place for dropouts
Figurative extension: a place where people who have fallen through the cracks of society tend to gather. Carries a slightly negative or pitiful connotation.
あの公園は、社会の吹き溜まりのような場所だと言われている。
That park is said to be a kind of hangout for social dropouts.
A snow drift formed at the corner of the road.
That cheap bar had become a hangout for the town's misfits.
The fallen leaves had piled up into a drift in the corner of the garden.