as in lingered
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
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Recent Examples of loitered
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
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
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Around her, dozens of community members lingered along the street with coffee handed out by volunteers, hugging old friends, calling out familiar names and answering a steady chorus of car horns with cheers and applause as students made their way toward campus, backpacks slung over their shoulders.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Nashville, Tennessee, where nearly 100,000 power outages lingered early Wednesday, high temperatures were to rise just above freezing before plunging to 13 Fahrenheit overnight.—
Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Developer Omega Force and publisher Koei Tecmo announced that it has been delayed to an unspecified date.—
George Yang,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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If lawmakers fail to reach a bipartisan compromise on ICE funding, the agency’s annual funding will be delayed.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The company pulled the plug on its Cruise robotaxi business in 2024 in the wake of a high-profile incident in which a San Francisco pedestrian was dragged under the car.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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The stretch is just short of New York City’s record cold stretch, which dragged on for 16 days.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mergers have crawled since 2021 and were finally expected to rebound last year.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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During the winter storm, the department’s official X account went viral for a series of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek posts that poked fun at drivers, the weather and even the officers themselves.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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Hadn’t poked my nose in anywhere, hadn’t seen anything, and just really enjoyed watching the film.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The couple strolled past planter boxes filled with flowers and vegetables as the school’s attendance specialist Crismar Guerra De Segnini answered questions from them and the handful of other parents on the tour.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
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After the models’ finale, Nichanian strolled down the runway as an audience of hundreds of clients, celebrities and editors offered her a five-minute standing ovation.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitered. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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