LINGERED Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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 Still, as the audience streamed out of the concert courtyard, earlier words from Finom lingered. — Katherine Turman, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 Others from albums like 2024’s All Life Long sustained a spell that lingered. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026 El Niño events typically develop in spring and summer, peak in intensity between October and February, and persist for nine to 12 months, though some have lingered for two years. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Last winter, in his first crack at free agency, Arraez lingered on the open market until late January before signing a one-year, $12 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Yet my party of work friends lingered, seeming to savor the change of venue. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 Halfway into 2026, auto traffic has lingered at the same lower volume, according to the bridge director, while commercial traffic has fallen nearly 15% further. — Anna Clark, ProPublica, 31 July 2026 Lizzie developed a habit of turning it on in the morning and keeping it on in the background through a day of working from home or cleaning the house, and this routine lingered long after the acute phase of the pandemic began to wane. — Hannah Engler Harvey, Longreads, 30 July 2026 Juan Enriquez, who resides on Coleman Avenue, told CBS affiliate KOSA that a strong odor lingered for weeks before authorities were called to the scene. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered

Verb

The official, who spoke on behalf of the State Department on condition of anonymity, said Brazil has indicated the approval is likely to be delayed until after its election in October.

— Abigail Williams, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
The article has been corrected to reflect that the university system’s timeline was expedited, not delayed.

— Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

There’s the Caesar salad, famously invented right here in Tijuana at Caesar’s Restaurante (now operated by the Plasencia family)—and still prepared tableside, whole leaves of romaine dragged through the decadent dressing to order.

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026
Growth in Asia was spurred by core markets like China, up 40% year-on-year and standing in contrast to the rest of the industry, where the market dragged on quarterly results.

— Ella Graveney, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of dragged

Verb

Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.

— Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

Primus crawled from the same California soup that gave birth to a host of funk-metal acts in the 1980s, following Fishbone, Faith No More, and, most infamously, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
Mysterio went for the Three Amigos, but Danhausen blocked the last attempt and crawled to the corner.

— Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

Earlier this month, Eva Longoria strolled through the streets of Spain in a black and white dress that truly has no limits.

— Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
Harry and Archie strolled ahead of Lilibet, who wore a floral dress with metallic sandals while touting a tiny purse.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 23 July 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

With a practice script in hand, Shanahan has crept closer to some offensive drills.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
As the population grew, and construction and pollution crept closer to water sources, many springs have since dried up or receded to thin trickles.

— Umar Farooq, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of crept

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linger

lingered

lingerer

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“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of lingered

verb

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