linger

[ling-ger]

See more synonyms for linger on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

Related formslin·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

Synonyms for linger

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lingered

drift, idle, stay, remain, dawdle, wait, persist, survive, shuffle, slouch, tarry, trifle, hesitate, traipse, putter, loll, mosey, plod, falter, mope

Examples from the Web for lingered

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
But the question that has lingered is how fast and how many this year.
Obama’s Afghan Gamble
John Barry
June 21, 2011
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
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

Historical Examples of lingered

Banstead lingered by the threshold and took up an illustrated paper.
Viviette
William J. Locke
It was over his image that she had lingered that morning in her closet.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
For years afterward, the memory of one evening lingered with him.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
There was nothing more to say--time pressed--yet I lingered dumb and irresolute.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
And this was why he lingered in the kitchen,—not knowing just what to say.
Tip Lewis and His Lamp
Pansy

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.