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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lingered
But Charli’s quote has lingered in my head ever since listening to Jessie Ware’s dead-on-arrival sixth record, Superbloom.
—
Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
Elements of western also lingered.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Only a few empty seats lingered in Empower’s nooks and crannies.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
But the moment itself wasn’t what lingered.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
My doctors thought our son might be born with Down syndrome, so that lingered in the back of my mind.
—Donia Duchess, Health, 16 Apr. 2026
Though Ducharme never had to miss extended time in her redshirt senior year, the impacts of the head and neck injuries lingered.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 15 Apr. 2026
Growling, hissing and swiping, Scooter charged at a glass door, holding its ground as the bears lingered just outside.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
This past weekend, walk-ins lingered on the sidewalk, eagerly waiting for standing room-only space at the window counters.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
Elements of western also lingered.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Only a few empty seats lingered in Empower’s nooks and crannies.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
But the moment itself wasn’t what lingered.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
My doctors thought our son might be born with Down syndrome, so that lingered in the back of my mind.
—Donia Duchess, Health, 16 Apr. 2026
Though Ducharme never had to miss extended time in her redshirt senior year, the impacts of the head and neck injuries lingered.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 15 Apr. 2026
Growling, hissing and swiping, Scooter charged at a glass door, holding its ground as the bears lingered just outside.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
This past weekend, walk-ins lingered on the sidewalk, eagerly waiting for standing room-only space at the window counters.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
The trial had been set to start this week but was delayed until next February.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The hearings have been delayed by litigation, though, including over who should prosecute the cases going forward.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The officer grabbed me and said 'you're arrested,' and just put me in handcuffs and drug and dragged me out.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Baker, still by himself, grabbed Rivera’s bulletproof vest and dragged her to the first-floor lobby, where he was met by other responding Chicago Police Department officers.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Lakers guard reached and poked the ball away.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The couple poked fun at the social media conversation surrounding them in an Instagram Reel.—
Athena Sobhan,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Margot, who works for a social-media platform called Kino and shares a New Orleans apartment with her bestie, Ryan (Aaron Holliday), has only just crawled out of a dark period and doesn’t require much to teeter back in.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
As a toddler, Gabriela crawled about the UCLA clubhouse at reunions.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Last Tuesday, the fashion designer strolled in a very different location.—
Randee Dawn,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
-
When LaBeija, as Gus the Theatre Cat, finally strolled onstage to revisit his glory days, waggling his long, polished claws, a younger Gus (Jonathan Burke) appeared, like a mirror dancing toward him.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Stella crossed the street and loitered outside the store window displaying haughty mannequins flaunting swagger coats.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As the '80s gave way to the '90s and, later, the new millennium crept in, all-male singing groups became a defining part of pop culture.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Even so, a little magic has crept into the proceedings, with some brands concealing their cleverness in plain sight and others putting more of the horological art on display.—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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