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
In 1985, the NBA introduced a lottery system to decide the draft order of non-playoff teams—a revolutionary development with a legacy that still lingers on the lottery’s 40th anniversary.
—
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 25 June 2025
Victor plays Agnes, a professor who has stayed on at her rural New England college despite a lingering trauma.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2025
Overcast skies and lingering wet weather isn’t expected to alter the event.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025
That didn't happen early Friday, however, perhaps signaling investors' lingering worries over the high level of U.S. debt.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for linger
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 25 June 2025
Victor plays Agnes, a professor who has stayed on at her rural New England college despite a lingering trauma.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2025
Overcast skies and lingering wet weather isn’t expected to alter the event.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025
That didn't happen early Friday, however, perhaps signaling investors' lingering worries over the high level of U.S. debt.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for linger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for linger
Verb
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So far, the administration has ended or delayed nearly 2,500 NIH grants, including some related to researching blood glucose.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2025
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Service businesses face real-time cost pressures that cannot be warehoused or delayed.—
Kara Dennison,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
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To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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The next day, at 9:10 p.m., Boelter crawled out of a wooded area and surrendered to law enforcement.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Cunningham came to the defense of her teammate Clark, retaliating with less than a minute left on the clock after, earlier in the game, the Fever's superstar player was poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground by two separate Sun players.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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As Clark backed Sheldon down at the top of the key, Sheldon poked Clark in the eye.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Tense scenes played out in the chamber as voting came to a standstill, dragging on for hours as holdout senators huddled for negotiations.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
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Voting had come to a standstill, dragging for more than three hours, with holdout senators huddling for negotiations and taking private meetings off the Senate floor.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
Verb
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His effort and decision-making were rewarded with an assist, as Roldan nodded the ball through the throng of bodies still loitering after the previous free kick to cut the deficit in half in the 75th minute.—
Jeff Rueter,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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Fights are common, Koffi said, pointing to people who loiter as the main contributor.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Usher, 46, and his wife strolled around together in casual attire, while Gates, 69, and his serious girlfriend coordinated in black outfits.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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Into this world strolls Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a rough-around-the-edges veteran driver who (literally) crashed out of Formula One several decades ago.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Linger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/linger. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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