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
And while the night sweats and the respiratory stuff cleared up pretty quickly, the fatigue lingered for two and a half weeks.
—
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
His oblique muscle strain lingered longer than initially anticipated.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Still, the conception that this is a disease of the ovaries has lingered.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 12 May 2026
The audience lingered after the ovations.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
His work, and the fraud allegations against him, have long lingered in the lexicon of conspiracy theorists seeking to question the safety of vaccines.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 8 May 2026
An experienced local agent will know which listings are likely to draw multiple offers, which sellers are motivated and which homes have lingered for reasons that may not appear in the listing.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Over a lifetime, filmmaker Lynne Sachs has collected business cards—mementos of brief exchanges with strangers—and selects seven to uncover why these moments have lingered so vividly in her memory.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
The girls, buzzed on miniature cans of soda, lingered in the liminal space between rolling credits and parental pickup.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
His oblique muscle strain lingered longer than initially anticipated.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Still, the conception that this is a disease of the ovaries has lingered.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 12 May 2026
The audience lingered after the ovations.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
His work, and the fraud allegations against him, have long lingered in the lexicon of conspiracy theorists seeking to question the safety of vaccines.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 8 May 2026
An experienced local agent will know which listings are likely to draw multiple offers, which sellers are motivated and which homes have lingered for reasons that may not appear in the listing.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Over a lifetime, filmmaker Lynne Sachs has collected business cards—mementos of brief exchanges with strangers—and selects seven to uncover why these moments have lingered so vividly in her memory.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
The girls, buzzed on miniature cans of soda, lingered in the liminal space between rolling credits and parental pickup.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts only a 35% chance for good conditions at the launch site Tuesday, which increases to 65% on Wednesday and 85% if delayed to Thursday.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
The singer’s lawyers had initially pushed for an immediate preliminary hearing — in which a judge determines if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring a case to trial — but have since backed off and delayed the process.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
On March 14, visiting SDFC led FC Dallas 3-1 before Petar Musa dragged the home side back.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The Carboniferous period dragged on for sixty million.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Many curious passersby poked their heads inside, wondering if the restaurant was serving food again.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Holding her breath, Ana poked her head into the coop.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
When a Republican says something foolish, network anchors react like a gator just crawled into the studio wearing a MAGA hat.—
Larry Clifton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
The next day, steady rains caused the F1 Academy race to be cancelled and the first 20 laps of the Miami Grand Prix to be crawled behind the safety car.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The candidate strolled in with a videographer and photographer.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
In the name of growth and connectivity, the North Carolina Department of Transportation strolled through McCrorey Heights and other neighborhoods telling, not asking, residents to leave.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 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
-
Technology has crept into one of the oldest hobbies known to humanity.—
Jamie Siebrase,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Every scene that would otherwise communicate pandemonium is rendered in the language of sub-Ryan Murphy slop, as if a movie whose production costs reportedly crept toward $200 million could only afford a few extras at a time.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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