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
Those are the listings that lingered on the market for more than two months.
—
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
But a swath of traffic cones and an unfinished project have lingered, and sidewalks, a layer of asphalt and road striping still need to be finished.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2026
The water lingered for days and overwhelmed Hoboken’s sole operating flood pump.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Quietly, though, the potential for this move has always lingered in his background, from his very bloodline to his maturation as a prospect.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The outrage lingered long after the tournament.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026
Screens in education are one factor increasingly under scrutiny as educators and parents search for explanations for this generation’s academic struggles, which became most pronounced during COVID-19 but have lingered even after years back in the physical classroom.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
His stomach issue gradually went away, but the financial pain from his visit to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center lingered.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
The process of getting back to ace form lingered through the first half of the Miami Marlins’ 2025 season.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
But a swath of traffic cones and an unfinished project have lingered, and sidewalks, a layer of asphalt and road striping still need to be finished.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2026
The water lingered for days and overwhelmed Hoboken’s sole operating flood pump.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Quietly, though, the potential for this move has always lingered in his background, from his very bloodline to his maturation as a prospect.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The outrage lingered long after the tournament.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026
Screens in education are one factor increasingly under scrutiny as educators and parents search for explanations for this generation’s academic struggles, which became most pronounced during COVID-19 but have lingered even after years back in the physical classroom.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
His stomach issue gradually went away, but the financial pain from his visit to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center lingered.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
The process of getting back to ace form lingered through the first half of the Miami Marlins’ 2025 season.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
The results of an intelligence assessment delayed his combat deployment.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Before the contract was eventually approved, the Solano County Deputy Sheriff's Association, the department's union, came out against the move, which delayed a vote at the time.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Families of the victims grew doubtful that their killer would ever be caught as the investigation dragged on for more than a decade.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Milne had grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her, dragged her around, restrained her, punched her and knocked her unconscious.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wrencher said Russell once tied her to a chair, poked her with a knife, and threatened to burn the house down, the son said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Both characteristics were on full display when Drasner hit the local airwaves with a television commercial that promoted The News and poked fun at one of its upstart rivals.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Margot, who works for a social-media platform called Kino and shares a New Orleans apartment with her bestie, Ryan (Aaron Holliday), has only just crawled out of a dark period and doesn’t require much to teeter back in.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
As a toddler, Gabriela crawled about the UCLA clubhouse at reunions.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Once product characters strolled into the park in 1974, the floodgates opened.—
John Haddad,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
-
This week's Far-Flung Postcard takes readers to London, where NPR's Vincent Ni strolled along the National Covid Memorial Wall during a recent trip.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stella crossed the street and loitered outside the store window displaying haughty mannequins flaunting swagger coats.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
At the start of that brief official visit, his first, five military-grade drones loitered dangerously near Dublin Airport’s busiest civilian flight paths unopposed.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Stocks were lower Tuesday afternoon on the uncertain outlook for a deal, while oil prices crept higher, with West Texas Intermediate crude futures topping $117 per barrel at one point.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Then the shitposting and internet personas crept off the web and into the center of our politics.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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