linger
Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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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)
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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
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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.
Union representatives are warning that airport lines could linger for weeks as TSA agents stay off the job until they are paid.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Idle has for more than a decade been largely estranged from his former collaborators, but said he prefers not to linger on that fact.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
But even if the immediate standoff is resolved, the economic shock may linger — a reminder that in modern warfare, the battlefield doesn’t end at the front lines.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
It may be a bit more of a struggle for some Irish Sea coasts where fog could linger into Saturday afternoon.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
I could linger two hours over a coffee, four over a meal, and hardly be noticed by the waitress.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
