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
-
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,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
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
-
Street sweepers and garbage trucks crawled through roads fans had packed hours earlier.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2026
-
Last December, a rat appeared from the overhead bins and crawled behind a curtain in the cabin while a flight was en route from Amsterdam to Aruba, according to previous reporting from USA TODAY.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
17 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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Loitered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitered. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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