as in lingered
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
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Recent Examples of loitered
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
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
-
Those are the listings that lingered on the market for more than two months.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But a swath of traffic cones and an unfinished project have lingered, and sidewalks, a layer of asphalt and road striping still need to be finished.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The results of an intelligence assessment delayed his combat deployment.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Before the contract was eventually approved, the Solano County Deputy Sheriff's Association, the department's union, came out against the move, which delayed a vote at the time.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Families of the victims grew doubtful that their killer would ever be caught as the investigation dragged on for more than a decade.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Milne had grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her, dragged her around, restrained her, punched her and knocked her unconscious.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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The man who crawled out of that chest would shape how nations justify power for centuries to come.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wrencher said Russell once tied her to a chair, poked her with a knife, and threatened to burn the house down, the son said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Both characteristics were on full display when Drasner hit the local airwaves with a television commercial that promoted The News and poked fun at one of its upstart rivals.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Once product characters strolled into the park in 1974, the floodgates opened.—
John Haddad,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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This week's Far-Flung Postcard takes readers to London, where NPR's Vincent Ni strolled along the National Covid Memorial Wall during a recent trip.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitered. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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