as in lingered
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
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Recent Examples of loitered
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
Stella crossed the street and loitered outside the store window displaying haughty mannequins flaunting swagger coats.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
At the start of that brief official visit, his first, five military-grade drones loitered dangerously near Dublin Airport’s busiest civilian flight paths unopposed.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The hotel is a short walk from the Jericho Tavern, where Radiohead played its first gig, in 1986, and around the corner from a now shuttered HMV, in whose aisles Donwood and Yorke once loitered, scouting the competition.
—Zoe Si, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
The drones also loitered above an Irish Navy vessel that had secretly deployed for Zelensky's visit.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
There, the crop continued to grow while white-faced ibis and killdeer birds loitered around the water.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
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
Stella crossed the street and loitered outside the store window displaying haughty mannequins flaunting swagger coats.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
At the start of that brief official visit, his first, five military-grade drones loitered dangerously near Dublin Airport’s busiest civilian flight paths unopposed.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The hotel is a short walk from the Jericho Tavern, where Radiohead played its first gig, in 1986, and around the corner from a now shuttered HMV, in whose aisles Donwood and Yorke once loitered, scouting the competition.
—Zoe Si, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
The drones also loitered above an Irish Navy vessel that had secretly deployed for Zelensky's visit.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
There, the crop continued to grow while white-faced ibis and killdeer birds loitered around the water.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loitered
Verb
-
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
-
In the compound, the influence of the Tates’ father lingered.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Voter turnout was high for a primary election, and a significant share of voters cast ballots on or after Election Day, likely because many delayed making a decision in the governor’s race.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The Council deadlocked, 6-6, on that vote, delayed a vote on the budget last week due to concerns with the amendment process, and appeared to still be divided on Monday, with little consensus reached by the end of the five-hour working session.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Although Schwarze ultimately prevailed, the party’s divisions were on display as the endorsement battle dragged on through six ballots.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
-
But as his contentious divorce and custody battle against Jolie dragged on, reports emerged in 2021 that Maddox had testified in the case.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Her long-term partner, Rich Paul, recently poked fun at his lady love's musical prowess while being interviewed on the Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin podcast.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
The 14-day relative strength index has also just poked above the 50 level for the first time since late February.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Liv announced, as Smith strolled onstage, a surprise that nobody saw coming.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
Along First Street, fashionable young couples and wealthy empty nesters strolled by sidewalk pergolas.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitered. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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