linger

[ling-ger]

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verb (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.

to dwell in contemplation, thought, or enjoyment: to linger over the beauty of a painting.

to be tardy in action; delay; dawdle: to linger in discharging one's duties.

to walk slowly; saunter along.

verb (used with object)

to pass (time, life, etc.) in a leisurely or a tedious manner (usually followed by away or out): We lingered away the whole summer at the beach.

Archaic. to draw out or protract.

Nearby words

Origin of linger

1250–1300; Middle English lengeren to dwell, remain (somewhere), frequentative of lengen, Old English lengan to delay, prolong, literally, lengthen. See long¹, -er⁶

SYNONYMS FOR linger

1, 4. tarry. 1, 5. loiter.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR linger ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

lin·ger·er, nounlin·ger·ing·ly, adverbout·lin·ger, verb (used with object)o·ver·lin·ger, verb (used without object)

un·lin·ger·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lingered

But most of all, Ramone lingered on Vicious, whom he painted and drew over and over again.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After each tiny detail was dusted and perfected without the promise of guests, he lingered in the room a few moments longer.
Winston Churchill’s Egyptian Getaway: The Old Cataract Hotel|Lauren Bohn|December 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the question that has lingered is how fast and how many this year.
Obama’s Afghan Gamble|John Barry|June 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Parker said her good-byes, and as most of the group went back upstairs to the set, Spitzer lingered.
Eliot Spitzer's Nasty CNN Parting Shot to Kathleen Parker|Nick Summers|February 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

They lingered and when I tried to get them to leave, they pulled out guns.
Iraq's Anti-Gay Pogrom|Parvez Sharma|August 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Margaret saw his shadow as it lingered, but she continued her employment.
Love After Marriage; and Other Stories of the Heart|Caroline Lee Hentz
I had lingered there too long already, and letters from neglected relatives and friends came, reproachful, with every post.
Guy Livingstone;|George A. Lawrence
In one parlour there was a pleasant wood-fire, around which a group were gathered; and here Gerty would fain have lingered.
The Lamplighter|Maria S. Cummins
For two years more he lingered, sinking slowly into unconsciousness and imbecility.
Queen Victoria|Lytton Strachey
Thrown away by his companions, who had passed on towards Red River, he had lingered for three days all exposed to dew and frost.
The Great Lone Land|W. F. Butler

British Dictionary definitions for lingered

linger

verb (mainly intr)

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

Derived Formslingerer, nounlingering, adjectivelingeringly, adverb

Word Origin for linger

C13 (northern dialect) lengeren to dwell, from lengen to prolong, from Old English lengan; related to Old Norse lengja; see long 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lingered

linger

c.1300, lenger "reside, dwell," northern England frequentative of lengen "to tarry," from Old English lengan "prolong, lengthen," from Proto-Germanic *langjan "to make long" (cf. Old Frisian lendza, Old High German lengan, Dutch lengen "to lengthen"), source of Old English lang (see long (adj.)). Sense of "delay going, depart slowly and unwillingly" is from 1520s. Related: Lingered; lingering.

linger

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

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Origin of linger

Examples from the Web for lingered

linger

verb (mainly intr)

Word Origin for linger

linger