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
-
Cholowsky and the bat boy lingered in their embrace, clinging to the final remnants of a season neither seemed ready to leave behind.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
-
Amtrak said later Monday the south tunnel was back up and running, but delays lingered at Newark's Penn Station.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
With the squad heavily depleted at the start of pre-season due to the World Cup, a number of decisions regarding loan moves for youngsters are set to be delayed until later in the window.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
However, opposition to these plans delayed any major activity on the ground till the the late 2000s.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
2 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
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
-
But Inglis kept losing partners to Punjab fast bowler Marco Jansen (2-33) and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (2-25) and Lucknow crawled to 196.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Even at the height of his fame, there were dubious aspects of his personal life — often self-seeded to sustain his enigma — that poked hellified holes in his impermeability as an entertainer.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
-
In the roadside planters, green sprouts poked up.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
As rain peppered the tarp covering Yankee Stadium’s infield, Yesavage strolled around the Blue Jays clubhouse below.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Just around the corner from the rally on Tajrish Square, in a tranquil park near the Cinema Museum of Iran, locals perused an open-air book stall and sipped tea, while couples strolled hand in hand.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitered. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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