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
-
to delay or prolong departure
-
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:
The “clear and present danger” for U.S. stocks is rising 10-year Treasury yields, a threat that’s likely to linger.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Upsets also tend to linger longer in the memory because they fit a familiar story: well-run clubs outperforming opponents with significantly greater resources.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The impact of the disruptions could linger into 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Instead of being removed from the body, these cells can linger in tissues and release substances that affect surrounding cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
Where the snake went you couldn’t see, and Charlie didn’t linger to find out.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Yet the image of the male Viking warrior stubbornly lingers, drawing crowds while also haunting the galleries like a restless specter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
As the question lingers as to how Fortune died, petitions online signed by tens of thousands of people have called for more transparency, and members of US Congress have asked for federal intervention.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Poetry lingers, and its tentacles grip,” the author writes in an afterword.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
As attendees make their way out of the venue, excitement lingers through the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I do—it’s a sound almost musical, and eerily electronic, that lingers just beneath the sound of the waves.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Its powerful algorithms feed people short videos based in part on what they already have lingered on, liked or shared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
In 1980, it was renamed the National Museum of American History, but the tension lingered.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
"He definitely lingered on the fact that he didn't look after me very well when I was going through treatment."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
After the memorial service, El-Sayed lingered for a bit to shake the hands of people in attendance.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Frederick and Bruno helped him, but the miller slapped their hands if they lingered on the skeins too long.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Treasury yields hovered near multidecade highs as lingering concerns about the long-term economic outlook weighed on the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He blamed his croaky impersonation on a lingering "fresher's flu".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
In his second year in the majors, he was thrust into the primary role behind the plate for two months because of Will Smith’s lingering neck injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
The wide spread may have been a lingering artifact of the Eurozone debt crisis that followed the financial crisis, but either way, it has started to widen.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
I paint anyway, because I'm running out of time, and because I'm painting the girl today, lingering in the shadows.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
