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
But Charli’s quote has lingered in my head ever since listening to Jessie Ware’s dead-on-arrival sixth record, Superbloom.
—
Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
Rain could linger into Wednesday night before skies begin to clear, with lows in the low 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026
There is a common, lingering doubt among some male colleagues and consumers that women who are gaining expertise in the industry even like whiskey.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Elements of western also lingered.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for linger
Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
Rain could linger into Wednesday night before skies begin to clear, with lows in the low 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026
There is a common, lingering doubt among some male colleagues and consumers that women who are gaining expertise in the industry even like whiskey.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Elements of western also lingered.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for linger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for linger
Verb
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Congress allocated money for it, but billions of dollars were delayed due to the shutdown.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Bogey’s Image, ridden by Teddy Davies, appeared to win, only for a lengthy stewards’ inquiry to delay the result as spectators waited along the rails.—
Michael Howes,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The wave of online comments was sparked by the boss of condom maker Karex, Goh Miah Kiat, who said the Malaysian company planned to raise prices by 20%-30% and possibly more if supply chain disruptions due to the Iran war drag on.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One day after the fights, a toddler managed to crawl under a fence at Hersheypark's ZooAmerica and stick his hand into the wolf enclosure while his parents were reportedly distracted on their cell phones.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Paul, who co-created the Apple TV+ series and drew from season one for the musical’s script and score, performs a dexterous trick, poking fun at the form’s many ridiculous tropes with an unmistakably affectionate hand.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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Anderson says the magic lies in Gray’s willingness to poke fun at himself.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Suddenly three hours are gone and the fans are loitering around each chef’s station, ready to get their grub on.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
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In the petition filing, Buckingham wrote that Dick had loitered around his and his family members’ homes, called repeatedly and left threatening voicemails, and taped a photo collage of herself and Buckingham to his mailbox.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dinner at the waterfront Red Inn or Sal’s Place neatly closes the loop on a day spent strolling this thoroughfare.—
Cameron Sperance,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
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Folks stop in after strolling the RiverWalk or a bike ride along the Beerline Trail for fresh coffee, hot Rishi tea and super smart vegetarian and vegan spins on traditional brunch favorites.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Linger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/linger. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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