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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loitering
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Complaints included allegations of reckless driving, a cat being run over and vehicles loitering in neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 31 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
In 2022, state lawmakers decriminalized loitering with the intent to commit prostitution in California.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
Japan has announced plans to raise a fleet of loitering kamikaze drones and low-cost missiles to counter threats from China (and other regional threats).
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026
Complaints included allegations of reckless driving, a cat being run over and vehicles loitering in neighborhoods.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 31 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
In 2022, state lawmakers decriminalized loitering with the intent to commit prostitution in California.
—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
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That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Sick of crawling through rush-hour traffic along Interstate 84 in Meridian?—
Rose Evans
April 20,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Martha Stewart, however—perhaps the least likely superstar to do so—is poking holes in that fantasy, giving us an iconic new selfie that feels wildly relatable to anyone familiar with the mayhem of getting ready.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
24 Apr. 2026
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Paul, who co-created the Apple TV+ series and drew from season one for the musical’s script and score, performs a dexterous trick, poking fun at the form’s many ridiculous tropes with an unmistakably affectionate hand.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a four-game span, the Philadelphia 76ers star received a technical foul for shoving Donte DiVincenzo, and flagrant fouls for dragging Mitchell Robinson to the floor and swiping Brunson in the head.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Throughout Orbán’s re-election campaign, the media controlled by his governing Fidesz party depicted Magyar as a reckless enemy of peace, bent on dragging Hungary into the war in neighboring Ukraine.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The rescue group reported he was dehydrated and lethargic.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
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According to the Martin County report, Deputy Tatiana Levenar observed Woods to be sweating profusely, lethargic and slow.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Not to be outdone, the Tuscany Active Culinary Walking & Hiking Tour in Italy features wine sipping, a cooking class led by an engaging Italian chef, and plenty of strolling through the countryside.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
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These days, Bailey is one of the celebrities people would be thrilled to see strolling down Hollywood Boulevard.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Any subdomain found to be inactive should have its CNAME removed.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
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Sitting Too Much Living a mostly inactive lifestyle is linked to chronic inflammation.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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