as in lingering
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Dissimilar Words
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
don't loiter in this neighborhood after dark
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loitering
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Waymo robotaxis are getting ready to carry people around San Antonio, but their rollout has drawn concern from some residents who are creeped out by the cars loitering in their neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
Often, those efforts have focused on the issue of loitering for the purposes of prostitution.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
State television footage shows both systems engaging simulated quadcopters and loitering munitions flying at just 50 to 80 meters.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
People loudly loitering in front of houses.
—Joy Sewing, Houston Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Violent and property crime dropped across the board, but crimes against society, which include drugs, gambling and loitering offenses, rose, in some cases substantially.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
PepsiCo surely pays for the Gatorade coolers loitering behind the benches.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Eight adults were charged with offenses, including inciting to riot and loitering and prowling.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The term refers to loitering with the intention to invade privacy, often by peeking through windows or doors.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026
Waymo robotaxis are getting ready to carry people around San Antonio, but their rollout has drawn concern from some residents who are creeped out by the cars loitering in their neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2026
Often, those efforts have focused on the issue of loitering for the purposes of prostitution.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loitering
Adjective
-
Thomas missed 57 games last season, mostly because of the same lingering left hamstring issue.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the one hand, that means that many survive the disease without serious lingering effects.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Are clients delaying decisions on big investments?—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Others called it a performative move that contrasts with the EPA’s recent regulatory actions, including a rollback of mercury emissions standards, rescinding drinking water limits for certain PFAS and delaying Biden-era restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Until Isaacman’s program makeover, Artemis III was crawling toward a moon landing no sooner than 2029.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One provider recommended a different formula, but Laura responded that her son was burning calories by kicking in his bed, crawling and wheeling around in his wheelchair.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Upon the umpteenth retelling, Jules (Jeff Wilbusch)—who witnessed the gory death of Rachel’s mother (Victoria Pedretti) as a little boy and therefore wholeheartedly believes in the curse—begins poking holes in the story.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
2 Apr. 2026
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While the 1930s and 1940s did see some instances of carnival poking fun at the tyranny of the Nazi regime (none of which, it should be noted, went unpunished), Birdsall and other scholars maintain that the festival was, first and foremost, an avenue for propaganda.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But right now, while the press is still bad and the lawsuits are still dragging, sellers should take a breath.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The SaaSpocalypse, ultimately, was a knee-jerk, existential reaction to where AI is (slowly, in many contexts) dragging the tech stack.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Another great way to work a Texas rig on days where the bass may be more lethargic is a slow drag.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Woods wasn’t injured when his SUV flipped, though authorities said Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and described his movements as lethargic during questioning.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The change of seasons opens up all sorts of possibilities, from long walks through woods to strolling along city streets to drives through the countryside.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
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Outside, the Jill Griesse Historic Garden is always open for strolling among the magnolias and soaring plume poppies.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
According to the report, the agency’s asset management system contains unreliable and incomplete data, including missing records, untracked equipment and items incorrectly labeled as inactive or missing.—
KATU Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, recently placed Elmer Rodríguez on the temporarily inactive list.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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