as in delayed
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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Recent Examples of lingered
Yet, the same themes of access and power have lingered around the presidency in the eight decades since.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
The claim that creatine causes hair loss has lingered since 2009, shaping decisions for gym-goers and athletes weighing whether to add it to their routine.
—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
For years, questions lingered over whether DeGuzman, 20, died by homicide or suicide.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Publications like The Massachusetts Spy brought them news of events taking place days away in Boston, including the 1770 Boston Massacre, the memory of which lingered.
—
New York Times,
22 June 2026
Clearly, the smell of barbecue, the sound of music and the love of community and family lingered in him.
—
Bobby J. Smith Ii,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
On our recent trip to Arizona, my 12-year-old son lingered in the Grand Canyon gift shop near the stickers, smirked at me, and picked out two of his favorites.
—
Jaclyn Greenberg,
Parents,
18 June 2026
When a father in an England jersey led his young sons toward the concourse, one lingered behind long enough to see Croatia’s Martin Baturina score in the 36th minute, after which the youngster registered his disgust.
—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
That faded almost immediately, though the headache lingered half the day.
—
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
The claim that creatine causes hair loss has lingered since 2009, shaping decisions for gym-goers and athletes weighing whether to add it to their routine.
—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
For years, questions lingered over whether DeGuzman, 20, died by homicide or suicide.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Publications like The Massachusetts Spy brought them news of events taking place days away in Boston, including the 1770 Boston Massacre, the memory of which lingered.
—
New York Times,
22 June 2026
Clearly, the smell of barbecue, the sound of music and the love of community and family lingered in him.
—
Bobby J. Smith Ii,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
On our recent trip to Arizona, my 12-year-old son lingered in the Grand Canyon gift shop near the stickers, smirked at me, and picked out two of his favorites.
—
Jaclyn Greenberg,
Parents,
18 June 2026
When a father in an England jersey led his young sons toward the concourse, one lingered behind long enough to see Croatia’s Martin Baturina score in the 36th minute, after which the youngster registered his disgust.
—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
That faded almost immediately, though the headache lingered half the day.
—
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
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The theory here is that avarice and ambition can best be defeated by means of somebody else’s avarice and ambition; power’s inevitable corrupting effect is thereby mitigated or delayed.
-
Automatic contributions, delayed payment windows, small rituals that add friction to impulse spending — these are all behavioral architecture moves, not acts of self-denial.
Verb
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But as the crisis dragged on over six days and pressure from the families of the hostages grew, Israeli leaders gradually became more open to talks, according to a summary of the files released by the Israel State Archives.
-
Around Christmas 2024 the Estlink 2 cable between Finland and Estonia went down after a shadow-fleet tanker, the Eagle S, dragged its anchor across the seabed.
Verb
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Griffin also poked at the cohosts in the immediate aftermath of Hasselbeck and former View moderator Rosie O'Donnell's legendary on-air fight in 2007, as Griffin was a guest host the following day and brought up the incident numerous times — which annoyed Walters in the moment.
-
Late in the third, the Knights seemed to retake the lead after Pavel Dorofeyev poked home a loose puck.
Verb
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Chelsea Green crawled from under the ring and evened the odds.
-
The animal eventually crawled under a dock.
Verb
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To my surprise, Conway showed up, walking Clyde; Bores strolled past me in a dark suit.
-
Others strolled barefoot through the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, named after a courageous man who fought for freedom, not for presidents.
Verb
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Other executives, coaches and support staff loitered in the hall, speaking in hushed tones if at all.
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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.
Verb
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Daily drops of 5% and 4% were followed by a 16% slump as jitters crept into the market.
-
On this Hornets team, which crept close to the playoffs last season but still didn’t make it for the 10th year in a row, these two first-round picks aren’t going to start right away unless someone gets hurt.
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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