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
Relevance
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
Those questions only lingered after their third October, the two losses in Minnesota.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Aries fire burns away the residue of fear and doubt that may have lingered after the Virgo solar eclipse.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Sep. 2025
After the show, Madonna lingered to warmly embrace Gaultier, who famously designed her cone bra for the 1990 Blonde Ambition tour.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
While many residents were excited for the return of the store, others worried whether any of the issues that triggered its closure still lingered.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
This rematch, though, has lingered.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
An unseasonably strong low-pressure system that lingered off the Southern California coast all week was sliding inland, funneling moisture and atmospheric instability across Arizona.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Oracle slid 4%, putting the stock on track to post a third straight day of losses, as questions over the state of the artificial intelligence trade lingered.
—Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
And although officials walked back their denunciation of her a few days later, Marin-Franco says the doubts have lingered around her ever since, from neighbor and stranger alike.
—Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Aries fire burns away the residue of fear and doubt that may have lingered after the Virgo solar eclipse.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Sep. 2025
After the show, Madonna lingered to warmly embrace Gaultier, who famously designed her cone bra for the 1990 Blonde Ambition tour.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
While many residents were excited for the return of the store, others worried whether any of the issues that triggered its closure still lingered.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
This rematch, though, has lingered.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
An unseasonably strong low-pressure system that lingered off the Southern California coast all week was sliding inland, funneling moisture and atmospheric instability across Arizona.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Oracle slid 4%, putting the stock on track to post a third straight day of losses, as questions over the state of the artificial intelligence trade lingered.
—Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
And although officials walked back their denunciation of her a few days later, Marin-Franco says the doubts have lingered around her ever since, from neighbor and stranger alike.
—Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
Social Security benefits, for example, are considered mandatory by law and continue, although some services may be delayed if some workers are furloughed.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Democratic leaders countered that the subsidies are not a new demand but rather the continuation of a program that has helped keep record numbers of Americans insured since the pandemic – and therefore that the issue could not be delayed.—
Christopher Robertson,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As the weeks dragged on, agencies including the IRS and State Department called more workers back to keep things running.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
-
One letter submitted late Wednesday was from Gina Huynh, the Combs ex-girlfriend who previously told gossip vlogger Tasha K that Combs shoved her to the ground and dragged her by her hair in 2018.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Because tiny holes are poked into the soil surface, more nutrients can reach greater soil depths.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In a 2019 post celebrating his third wedding anniversary with Miles, Minoso poked fun at his character’s romantic shortcomings.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by pretty much everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack crawled back to Bliss.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On Thursday, April 3, Carey and Monroe strolled into the room while Moroccan was live on the streaming platform Twitch for about 10 minutes playing video games with friends.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Backed by an excellent band complete with a banjo and a fiddle, along with a lighting and effects rig that made the big moments really pop, Shaboozey strolled through his new material while building up to the marquee moment.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Over the past few years the NHL has crept closer to MLB in valuations.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Alabama and Ole Miss vaulted into the club with big wins, while Texas A&M crept into minus-odds territory with a home win against Auburn.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There, the crop continued to grow while white-faced ibis and killdeer birds loitered around the water.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share