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
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
Amtrak said later Monday the south tunnel was back up and running, but delays lingered at Newark's Penn Station.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 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
Unai Emery had recently been dismissed as head coach after the club’s worst run of form since 1992, the team lingered around the middle of the Premier League and a humiliating performance against Manchester City sent heads hanging all around the Emirates Stadium.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
Burden’s interviewers have lingered over this episode as well.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
The sheriff's office stated residents first began reporting concerns in the summer of 2025, describing encounters in which mountain lions lingered near homes, wandered beneath decks, and became increasingly difficult to scare away.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Amtrak said later Monday the south tunnel was back up and running, but delays lingered at Newark's Penn Station.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 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
Unai Emery had recently been dismissed as head coach after the club’s worst run of form since 1992, the team lingered around the middle of the Premier League and a humiliating performance against Manchester City sent heads hanging all around the Emirates Stadium.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
Burden’s interviewers have lingered over this episode as well.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
The sheriff's office stated residents first began reporting concerns in the summer of 2025, describing encounters in which mountain lions lingered near homes, wandered beneath decks, and became increasingly difficult to scare away.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
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With the squad heavily depleted at the start of pre-season due to the World Cup, a number of decisions regarding loan moves for youngsters are set to be delayed until later in the window.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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However, opposition to these plans delayed any major activity on the ground till the the late 2000s.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
2 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
-
Even at the height of his fame, there were dubious aspects of his personal life — often self-seeded to sustain his enigma — that poked hellified holes in his impermeability as an entertainer.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
-
In the roadside planters, green sprouts poked up.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
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But Inglis kept losing partners to Punjab fast bowler Marco Jansen (2-33) and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (2-25) and Lucknow crawled to 196.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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As rain peppered the tarp covering Yankee Stadium’s infield, Yesavage strolled around the Blue Jays clubhouse below.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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Just around the corner from the rally on Tajrish Square, in a tranquil park near the Cinema Museum of Iran, locals perused an open-air book stall and sipped tea, while couples strolled hand in hand.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Other executives, coaches and support staff loitered in the hall, speaking in hushed tones if at all.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
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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.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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 6 Jun. 2026.
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