linger
Americanverb (used without object)
-
lingers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lingered,
past participle, past
-
lingering
present participle
-
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
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to walk slowly; saunter along.
- Synonyms:
- loiter
verb (used with object)
-
lingers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lingered,
past participle, past
-
lingering
present participle
-
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
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to delay or prolong departure
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to go in a slow or leisurely manner; saunter
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to remain just alive for some time prior to death
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to persist or continue, esp in the mind
-
to be slow to act; dither; procrastinate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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lingerernoun
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outlingerverb (used with object)
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overlingerverb (used without object)
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lingeringadjective
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unlingeringadjective
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lingeringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lingersimple
-
lingerssimple
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have lingeredperfect
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has lingeredperfect
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am lingeringprogressive
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are lingeringprogressive
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is lingeringprogressive
-
have been lingeringperfect progressive
-
has been lingeringperfect progressive
Past
-
lingeredsimple
-
had lingeredperfect
-
was lingeringprogressive
-
were lingeringprogressive
-
had been lingeringperfect progressive
Future
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”; see long 1, -er 6
Explanation
When someone lingers, he or she takes an unexpectedly long time to depart, as Romeo lingers when bidding Juliet farewell (or as annoying houseguests almost always tend to do). In addition to its primary meaning of "taking a long time to depart," linger has the additional meaning of "persisting while gradually weakening." In this sense, linger can refer to feelings or sensations that slowly fade away, like the smell of perfume that lingers in an elevator after the passengers have exited.
Vocabulary lists containing linger
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 5
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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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.
See Examples For:
But just the fact that he requires a woman to linger around him all the time, ready to express her devotion and that of his most ardent followers, isn’t a great look.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
One of my first stops was the village of Carvalhal, where sophisticated clothing and design shops sit alongside old-school cafes where locals linger over coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
So AI’s threat to jobs may be modest now, but it’s enough to linger in people’s minds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Uncertainty will also linger this week until a lockup period expires on Thursday, allowing a portion of SpaceX employees to sell their shares post-IPO.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
El mal aire can kill you if you linger in it too long.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
"But there's also a surprising amount of heart – of the warm, still-beating kind – as it lingers on the faces of its fallen," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Even as yields climb and AI skepticism lingers, the bull market has a sturdy tailwind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
His regret lingers alongside his grief, allowing the viewer to understand his complex feelings of remorse.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Anger also lingers over the security failures surrounding the October 7 attacks, which continues to weigh on Netanyahu's standing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
But then something she said lingers in my brain.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
But the chemicals take a long time to break down and have lingered in the environment, particularly in landfill, where they can leach into waterways and then into the sea.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
One moment from Bottura’s episode has lingered most.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
For most of these drinks, the artificial flavors lingered in my mouth after I’d drained the can.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Unlike the plant-based moisturizers I had been using before this experiment, the tallow-based creams lingered on my skin for hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The two lingered like new friends wanting to get acquainted, swimming around me with slow but powerful undulations, their grace astounding.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
But experts see the exit of Chandrasekaran as evidence of lingering succession and structural issues that still give the Tata family significant heft in the boardroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Price pressures are lingering in other areas such as services, so there is always a danger inflation does rise by more than analysts expect later in the year.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
If you can’t fit on the one waiting in the docking area when you deplane, you’re stuck lingering for ages—a half hour or more, in some cases—until the next one arrives.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
On any given Friday night, the restaurants around me are full of twenty-somethings lingering over drinks long after they’ve paid the check.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
There was rage lingering on the surface that rippled like a wave awakened into motion.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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.
