linger
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave.
We lingered awhile after the party.
-
to remain alive; continue or persist, although gradually dying, ceasing, disappearing, etc..
She lingered a few months after the heart attack. Such practices still linger among the older natives.
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to dwell in contemplation, thought, or enjoyment.
to linger over the beauty of a painting.
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to be tardy in action; delay; dawdle.
to linger in discharging one's duties.
- Synonyms:
- tarry
-
to walk slowly; saunter along.
- Synonyms:
- loiter
verb (used with object)
-
to pass (time, life, etc.) in a leisurely or a tedious manner (usually followed by away orout ).
We lingered away the whole summer at the beach.
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Archaic. to draw out or protract.
verb
-
to delay or prolong departure
-
to go in a slow or leisurely manner; saunter
-
to remain just alive for some time prior to death
-
to persist or continue, esp in the mind
-
to be slow to act; dither; procrastinate
Other Word Forms
- lingerer noun
- lingering adjective
- lingeringly adverb
- outlinger verb (used with object)
- overlinger verb (used without object)
- unlingering adjective
Etymology
Origin of linger
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English lengeren “to dwell, remain,” literally, “to delay repeatedly,” from lengen, Old English lengan “to delay, lengthen, prolong”; long 1, -er 6
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This carrot cake is deep and layered, a slow-burn kind of sweetness that lingers without shouting.
From Salon
Ollie Pope lingered for a while in the middle of the Adelaide Oval, having been dismissed early on day two of the third Ashes Test.
From BBC
He asks me to leave the specifics out of this story, given the industry’s litigious nature and the lingering trauma of this decades-old battle.
From Salon
Warner said it had lingering concerns about the financing, including the use of an Ellison family trust to backstop the deal.
The noise is an added another layer of stress to day laborers, who are already struggling with less work opportunities and navigating lingering trauma from ICE raids.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
