lounge
Americanverb (used without object)
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lounges,
present (3rd person singular)
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lounged,
past participle, past
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lounging
present participle
verb (used with object)
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lounges,
present (3rd person singular)
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lounged,
past participle, past
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lounging
present participle
noun
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lounges
plural
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a sofa for reclining, sometimes backless, having a headrest at one end.
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a place for sitting, waiting, smoking, etc., especially a large public room, as in a hotel, theater, or air terminal, often with adjoining washrooms.
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a section on a train, plane, or ship having various club or social facilities.
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Archaic. the act or a period of lounging.
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Archaic. a lounging gait.
verb
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(intr; often foll by about or around) to sit, lie, walk, or stand in a relaxed manner
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to pass (time) lazily or idly
noun
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a communal room in a hotel, ship, theatre, etc, used for waiting or relaxing in
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( as modifier )
lounge chair
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a living room in a private house
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Also called: lounge bar, saloon bar. a more expensive bar in a pub or hotel
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an expensive bar, esp in a hotel
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short for cocktail lounge
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a sofa or couch, esp one with a headrest and no back
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the act or an instance of lounging
Synonym Usage
Lounge, loll, laze, and loaf can all be used to mean “to pass time idly.” But lounge implies a leaning or reclining posture, and an experience of comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment: When he was home, he preferred to lounge in his easy chair and watch TV. Loll also conveys a leaning posture: Visitors can loll on the grass in beanbag chairs or loungers. Laze suggests no particular posture, but a relaxed indulgence, as in We spent the summer swimming, surfing, and lazing under the sun, while loaf is sometimes used to convey idle wastefulness: I spent all of Sunday just loafing around the house.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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loungesimple
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loungessimple
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have loungedperfect
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has loungedperfect
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am loungingprogressive
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are loungingprogressive
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is loungingprogressive
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have been loungingperfect progressive
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has been loungingperfect progressive
Past
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loungedsimple
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had loungedperfect
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was loungingprogressive
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were loungingprogressive
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had been loungingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lounge
First recorded in 1500–10; origin uncertain
Explanation
It's hard to lounge, or recline comfortably, in the lounge, or waiting area, of an airport terminal. Maybe they shouldn't call it a lounge. Lounge comes from the French s'allonger meaning "to lounge about, lie at full length." Whether you're talking about a room with seats in a hotel made for waiting, or a nice comfy sofa, or the act of reclining comfortably, lounge has everything to do with making yourself comfortable in one spot for a while. It also means to hang around in an easy way, the way you might lounge around the poolside area in a luxury hotel.
Vocabulary lists containing lounge
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
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30 Great Words from Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
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"The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost
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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:
Amex couldn’t resist a jab at the other credit-card companies nipping at its lounge heels: It will be the only operator with outlets at the three major metro New York airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Evidence provided by Adidas included side-by-side comparisons of its products with White Fox clothes which include sweatpants and lounge shorts, as well as images of billboards on buses and at bus stops.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Concierge service is available 24 hours a day, and common areas include a fitness center, an entertainment lounge, children’s playroom, dog spa, and a rooftop terrace outfitted with grilling stations.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
A new premium Hawaiian Airlines lounge is also set to open in Honolulu in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The lounge looked just as it had before she moved: the cozy yellow chairs and the big bear constellation skulking across the ceiling.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Its strategy to polish its premium-travel credentials also includes new lounges, more high-end seating and Thursday’s announcement that it’s expanding Starlink Wi-Fi across its entire mainline fleet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
In one of several photographs capturing the remarkable informality between them, Chivayo lounges, almost lying, on a sofa beside Mnangagwa, apparently entirely at ease in the president's company.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In addition to seven bedrooms and 20 bathrooms, the stately interiors include multiple dining rooms, lounges and a walnut-paneled library.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
“We’ve always had first class, we’ve always had lounges, but we’re taking this to a whole new level,” Harrison said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The women scream, and glance over and under their chairs and chaise lounges.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Godzilla the rescue Sulcata tortoise lounged in a tidy shaded yard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
In place of sun-worshiping fans camped out on makeshift bleachers, parents lounged on cushioned seats as kids nestled beside them balancing chicken wings and pizzas on their laps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2025
The normally bustling border crossing of Kasumulu remained noticeably quieter than usual with drivers seen relaxing in the shade of trees, while others played draughts or lounged in the back of their lorries.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025
Meanwhile, 38-year-old James Milne lounged in a seat not far away, his back against a frosted glass window, observing the scene from behind Ray-Ban sunglasses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024
I lounged against the wall and checked my fingernails.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Its formless body accommodated slouching, lounging or lying down, selling freedom from both conventional posture and the bourgeois living room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
On their private rooftop, they added a pergola, a barbecue area and an outdoor eating and lounging area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The GIFs of the Owens’ Massachusetts estate, with its cozy fireplaces perfect for pajama lounging, still blow up Tumblr every October.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
A mountain lion lounging on the sidewalk under the shade of a tree has shut down a street in San Dimas while wildlife officials rush to the area to capture the animal Friday afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
They sped by a pack of sea lions lounging on the docks, and she swore she saw an old homeless guy sitting among them.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
