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lingered

verb

past tense of linger
as in delayed
to move or act slowly since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lingered Jones and Tagovailoa waited as questions about their abilities lingered. — Mike Sando, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 But despite Rexha’s rousing encore, her question still lingered. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 7 Sep. 2026 This issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. — CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 In this case, the shark — which Gauna believes to be a roughly 9-foot juvenile — lingered within arm’s length of the swimmer, circling him several times. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 News of the accident prompted some fans to leave, but many lingered in the parking lot, shaken by the death of the worker. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 The issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026 If only the film had lingered longer on Vasarhelyi’s totally rational horror and disbelief. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 Tagovailoa on return, boos Falcons and former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was greeted with boos during Friday’s preseason game, lingered on the field afterward to embrace several former teammates and Dolphins staffers. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
  1. delayed
  2. dragged
  3. poked
  4. crawled
  5. strolled
  6. loitered
  7. crept
Verb
  • Left unhandled, each one turns into a person fixing an issue or an order getting delayed.
    — Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Despite rising infant deaths tied to Lucy Letby’s shifts, hospital leaders delayed suspending her and calling police, allowing further attacks before her eventual arrest and conviction.
    — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • The sophomore set him down outside the door of the boys varsity locker room, and a 15-year-old grabbed the victim’s ankles, dragged him inside and held him down, the boy told police.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
  • My brother is lying on the floor, as if thrown down and dragged there.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • The dog’s ribs poked out, her skin was irritated and red, and patches of fur were missing — a possible sign of mange.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In between, Arsenal had plenty of attacking joy, particularly when the slick positional rotations of their right flank poked at the weak spot on the left of Chelsea’s defence.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • Each tool sharpened one department, and the work still crawled between them, because nobody was ever asked to own the crawling.
    — Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One roach crawled on glassware in the dishwashing area and eight were under the dishwasher.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawled
Verb
  • With a nod from the person at the desk, we were buzzed out and strolled straight onto the tarmac to mount up.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For the record, the Chorizo strolled home with the win in the Sausage Race, which was mostly jogging.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of strolled
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
Definition of loitered
Verb
  • The location opened Monday, welcoming a consistent rush of customers into the space, even as the afternoon waned and crept into the neither-lunch-nor-dinner hours.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Tech has crept into every facet of everyday life, like an invisible fog of ones and zeros.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of crept

Browse Nearby Words

linger
lingered
lingerer
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Cite this Entry

“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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