as in to delay
to move or act slowly
since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of linger
For the final step, use damp paper towels to remove any lingering sand inside the drum.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 June 2025
The pitch lingered in the air before diving under Jackson Merrill’s whiffing bat for an inning-ending strikeout.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Tariffs, inflation and lingering fears of a recession have left many Americans uneasy and pulling back on spending.
—Michelle Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
The finish is long and sweet, with lingering red berry and dried fruit notes.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for linger
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 June 2025
The pitch lingered in the air before diving under Jackson Merrill’s whiffing bat for an inning-ending strikeout.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Tariffs, inflation and lingering fears of a recession have left many Americans uneasy and pulling back on spending.
—Michelle Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
The finish is long and sweet, with lingering red berry and dried fruit notes.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for linger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for linger
Verb
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Meanwhile, Boeing’s project has been hampered by stress corrosion cracks on the planes and excessive noise in the cabins from the decompression system, among other issues that have delayed delivery, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last year.—
Tara Copp,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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Since his sentencing 37 years ago, Menzies' attorneys have filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was postponed.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
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The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
29 May 2025
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The Zenbook crawled to the finish line in every test.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2025
Verb
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That victory put O’Malley back in the rankings. O’Malley’s next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev poked fun at the explosive war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, offering to mediate peace between the two political allies.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Over the Great Plains, the high-level flow of winds has been pushing the smoke south, and shifting upper-level winds from the west will drag the smoke over the eastern states, according to The Weather Channel.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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The phone call between Trump and Putin came as the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3.5 years, shows no signs of abating despite mounting pressure for a diplomatic breakthrough.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Using a plausible cover story, the red team passed front-desk security, loitered in stairwells, and accessed upper levels with lower foot traffic.—
Jochen Schwenk,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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In addition, the use of loitering drones designed to attack radar systems represents a significant escalation in the technological sophistication of cross-border attacks compared to years past.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 May 2025
Verb
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The elephant strolled in from the nearby national park, Kha Yai, and is a familiar sight in the Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand, the Associated Press reported.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
4 June 2025
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It’s said that as a young and then unknown designer, Christian Dior, strolled past the Hôtel Plaza Athénée on a breezy afternoon.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Linger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/linger. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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