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
When a father in an England jersey led his young sons toward the concourse, one lingered behind long enough to see Croatia’s Martin Baturina score in the 36th minute, after which the youngster registered his disgust.
—
Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026
That faded almost immediately, though the headache lingered half the day.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
His latest album, Infinite Black Inside, is a thorough exploration of the ideas—evasive rhythmic switch-ups, jazz melodies, busy textural interactions—that have often lingered in the margins of his more functional output.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 16 June 2026
But this elbow impingement has lingered and the Royals want more clarity about it.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Spectators lingered long after the final buzzer, still in shock, refusing to leave a euphoric scene.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026
The illness lingered in other ways, too.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
In New York where — much like Los Angeles — fans start heading for the exits with a few minutes to go, the crowd lingered after the game singing along with frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 10 June 2026
The late Luke Perry only appeared on one episode of Criminal Minds, but his character’s presence lingered long after he was gone.
—Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026
That faded almost immediately, though the headache lingered half the day.
—Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
His latest album, Infinite Black Inside, is a thorough exploration of the ideas—evasive rhythmic switch-ups, jazz melodies, busy textural interactions—that have often lingered in the margins of his more functional output.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 16 June 2026
But this elbow impingement has lingered and the Royals want more clarity about it.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Spectators lingered long after the final buzzer, still in shock, refusing to leave a euphoric scene.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026
The illness lingered in other ways, too.
—CNN Money, 14 June 2026
In New York where — much like Los Angeles — fans start heading for the exits with a few minutes to go, the crowd lingered after the game singing along with frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 10 June 2026
The late Luke Perry only appeared on one episode of Criminal Minds, but his character’s presence lingered long after he was gone.
—Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
That money was delayed in getting to Foxborough amid a congressional funding freeze.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The team’s charter flight from Mexico to Miami Sunday night was delayed a few hours due to missing documentation.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
In that second leadership election, he was roundly defeated by Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist whose victory dragged the party leftwards.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
As the Bucks dragged their feet on the Antetokounmpo situation, a number of other teams gave up on the season entirely.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The view was uncommonly broad, and the city skyline poked out of the eastern sky.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
-
Jo Adell poked a tying single through the infield moments later.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
When doctors smothered it in ointment, about 45 larvae crawled out.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Fans wearing jerseys of all teams strolled through to take in the displays and snap selfies.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
-
On Wednesday, Seth Ryan strolled into that same room, climbed a stair and stood at a lectern for a news conference.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
11 June 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
-
Separately, Miami-Dade received another $7 million in federal dollars just for World Cup transportation costs — an expense that has crept higher in the two years since the Host Committee originally floated the $46 million subsidy package for Miami-Dade to cover World Cup security and logistics.—
Douglas Hanks
June 17,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
-
Flames crept across a Rio Linda meadow Tuesday as firefighters from three agencies intentionally set fire to 35 acres of dry grass — not to battle a wildfire, but to prevent one.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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