Synonyms of lingers

lingers

verb

present tense third-person singular of linger

as in drags

to move or act slowly

since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drags
• delays
• crawls
• pokes
• loiters
• strolls
• lags
• dawdles
• creeps
• tarries
• plays
• shuffles
• marks time
• mopes
• drops behind
• staggers
• falls behind
• dallies
• diddles
• stalls
• hangs fire
• lollygags
• idles
• saunters
• dillydallies
• drags one's feet
• takes one's time
• ambles
• lounges
• eases
• inches
• lolls
• putters (around)
• shilly-shallies
• decelerates
• potters (around)
• fools around
• fiddles (around)
• monkeys (around)
• lumbers
• trifles
• loafs
• messes around
• hangs (around or out)
• slows (down or up)
• plods
• procrastinates
• temporizes
• filibusters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hastens
• tears
• runs
• flies
• hurries
• rushes
• scurries
• rips
• whirls
• races
• barrels
• whisks
• courses
• speeds
• careers
• scoots
• dashes
• whizzes
• zips
• hurtles
• bolts
• runs
• hustles
• scuds
• scrambles
• breezes
• rockets
• trots
• bowls
• accelerates
• gallops
• darts
• jogs
• quickens
• stampedes
• humps
• speeds (up)
• sprints
• overtakes
• hotfoots (it)
• outstrips
• outpaces
• outruns
• catches up
• fast-forwards

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lingers

For a creamier take, DedCool’s XtraMilk Eau de Parfum is a 2024 Best of Beauty Award winner that layers bergamot over soft white musk and amber for a cozy skin-like scent that lingers close to the body. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 11 July 2026

The longer uncertainty lingers, the more risk there is for stocks at a moment when the market leaders, chipmakers, are wobbling. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 July 2026

Even on the paradisiac-seeming a cappella introduction, a collaboration with Jamila Woods and L’Rain, something lingers in the foreground. — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026

The bacteria thrive anywhere moisture lingers, especially in bathrooms where humidity stays high, and soap residue provides an easy food source. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 9 July 2026

Campbell’s athletic testing at the scouting combine was excellent, but a measurement there also prompted a debate that lingers today. — Chad Graff, New York Times, 9 July 2026

While uncertainty lingers over improvements and timetables at LAX, the county’s second-busiest airport is on the brink of big changes. — Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

After a stormy Fourth of July weekend, Baltimore will begin the week with unsettled weather as a slow-moving system lingers over the region. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026

Though the machines fell silent 40 years ago, the scent lingers. — Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026