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)
-
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
Derived Forms
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lingerernoun
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outlingerverb (used with object)
-
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
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lingersimple
-
lingerssimple
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have lingeredperfect
-
has lingeredperfect
-
am lingeringprogressive
-
are lingeringprogressive
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is lingeringprogressive
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have been lingeringperfect progressive
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has been lingeringperfect progressive
Past
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lingeredsimple
-
had lingeredperfect
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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:
For a documentarian who specializes in personal movies, “Remake” feels especially revealing — both in terms of the glimpses we get of this father-son relationship and of unsolved mysteries that linger just outside the frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
While airlines have been reassured the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10 will soon be in their fleets, questions linger about the 777X, said longtime aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia, who will attend Farnborough.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
A great appetizer gives everyone something to snack on while the grill heats up, while an easy dessert lets the evening linger without sending you back into the kitchen for another complicated cooking project.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Any storms are likely to linger for hours.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
I lay awake longer than even Chi-Boy that night, long enough to see him slip the white trapper hat under Wab’s pillow and linger to touch her long hair as she slept.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
What lingers is the intimacy of the work—the steady service of caring for frightened people during the worst days of their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 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 there’s still one thing that lingers, he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
The ghost of Vice still lingers in today’s media ecosystem in what he called our “era of cartel journalism:” creators navigating a world of blurred incentives and corporate interests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Autumn lingers on the colorful character selection screen.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Manson’s connection to the home lingered for decades, and less than 30 years after those murders, the dwelling, which had been owned by music producer Terry Melcher, was demolished.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Dozens more lingered in the parking lot and on the lawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The company lost $5.8 billion in fiscal 2023 as demand for memory collapsed, prices fell, and inventory lingered on the shelves.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Has the office served its purpose, or has it lingered one bureaucracy layered on top of a bunch of other bureaucracies, as some critics foresaw?
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
She chose the most elegant among them and lingered nearby, waiting for its owners to approach.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region Saturday morning, lingering until at least the late afternoon.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
Innuendo leaves a lingering stink that’s harder to dispel.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Tyler Glasnow, who had been sidelined for more than two months with a lingering back injury, threw a bullpen session Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
While the 20-year yield is somewhat cheap relative to fair value implied by interest rate risk supply-demand conditions, investor demand will be in focus amid lingering headline risk, strategists at Barclays Securities Japan said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Father polished his glasses with his napkin and started to read, his deep voice lingering lovingly over the words.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
