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
The late Luke Perry only appeared on one episode of Criminal Minds, but his character’s presence lingered long after he was gone.
—
Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
In the compound, the influence of the Tates’ father lingered.
—Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
But what lingered was Commissioner Steve Glassman’s outburst.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026
And for the White family, questions lingered.
—Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 5 June 2026
Cholowsky and the bat boy lingered in their embrace, clinging to the final remnants of a season neither seemed ready to leave behind.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Admirers of Lean’s superb 1940s Dickens adaptations, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist, might wish Thompson had lingered longer over them.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Kramer denied wrongdoing, but the damage to public trust has lingered.
—East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
The defeat left Haugh inconsolable, stunned Florida’s locker room and lingered long after the final buzzer.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
In the compound, the influence of the Tates’ father lingered.
—Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
But what lingered was Commissioner Steve Glassman’s outburst.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026
And for the White family, questions lingered.
—Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 5 June 2026
Cholowsky and the bat boy lingered in their embrace, clinging to the final remnants of a season neither seemed ready to leave behind.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Admirers of Lean’s superb 1940s Dickens adaptations, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist, might wish Thompson had lingered longer over them.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
Kramer denied wrongdoing, but the damage to public trust has lingered.
—East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
The defeat left Haugh inconsolable, stunned Florida’s locker room and lingered long after the final buzzer.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
Voter turnout was high for a primary election, and a significant share of voters cast ballots on or after Election Day, likely because many delayed making a decision in the governor’s race.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The Council deadlocked, 6-6, on that vote, delayed a vote on the budget last week due to concerns with the amendment process, and appeared to still be divided on Monday, with little consensus reached by the end of the five-hour working session.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Although Schwarze ultimately prevailed, the party’s divisions were on display as the endorsement battle dragged on through six ballots.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
-
But as his contentious divorce and custody battle against Jolie dragged on, reports emerged in 2021 that Maddox had testified in the case.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Her long-term partner, Rich Paul, recently poked fun at his lady love's musical prowess while being interviewed on the Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin podcast.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
The 14-day relative strength index has also just poked above the 50 level for the first time since late February.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Liv announced, as Smith strolled onstage, a surprise that nobody saw coming.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
Along First Street, fashionable young couples and wealthy empty nesters strolled by sidewalk pergolas.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Other executives, coaches and support staff loitered in the hall, speaking in hushed tones if at all.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
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
-
The Waffle House waitress said the building’s management was inattentive to a raft of deeper issues, from sewage backups that crept into her bathtub to mold and a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
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At the other end of the spectrum, there were a number of clubs with lower possession numbers who crept into positions higher up the table.—
Jon Mackenzie,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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