as in lingering
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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
City News Service, Daily News, 29 May 2026
Mike MacLennan’s idea of market research as the CEO of a drive-thru AI company is loitering at Burger King.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Fans loitering just outside the barricade started to sense something was changing.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
The platform has a speed of 180 km/hr, a range of 320+ km, a payload of 150 kg, and an endurance of 14-18 hours (at loitering speeds).
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
This year’s flights encircle the country and include loitering patterns, those in 2025 appear to just pass by, Ian Petchenik of Flightradrar24 told USA TODAY.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Russia soon augmented its capabilities by acquiring Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 loitering munitions from Iran.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Daisy doesn’t have to spend too much time loitering in downtown Toronto before Gilead makes its move.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 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
Verb
The goal is to reduce crime and loitering at stations through this initiative.
—City News Service, Daily News, 29 May 2026
Mike MacLennan’s idea of market research as the CEO of a drive-thru AI company is loitering at Burger King.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Fans loitering just outside the barricade started to sense something was changing.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
The platform has a speed of 180 km/hr, a range of 320+ km, a payload of 150 kg, and an endurance of 14-18 hours (at loitering speeds).
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
This year’s flights encircle the country and include loitering patterns, those in 2025 appear to just pass by, Ian Petchenik of Flightradrar24 told USA TODAY.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Russia soon augmented its capabilities by acquiring Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 loitering munitions from Iran.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Daisy doesn’t have to spend too much time loitering in downtown Toronto before Gilead makes its move.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 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
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
-
Hilton proposes to reform the California Environmental Quality Act so that only government prosecutors can sue, preventing private individuals and organizations from stopping or delaying new housing projects.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Nearly 40% of calls handled by Sacramento’s emergency medical services system were non-emergencies, tying up ambulances and paramedics, delaying urgent medical responses and adding nearly $5 million in costs to the city, according to a city audit.—
Reeti Malhotra
May 29,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The Thursday night group was seen leaving about three hours afterward, according to the NYPD, while the second odd circumstance ended after individuals were seen crawling out and leaving in a vehicle more than two and a half hours after.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
Toddlers and babies spend their days at floor level, crawling through dust, putting hands and objects in their mouths, and breathing air closer to the ground than anyone else.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
In partnership with Underdog, a popular daily fantasy sports (DFS) and pick'em betting platform, Brooks revealed a one-of-a-kind board game poking fun at SGA.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Plenty of skilled directors can manipulate tension and fear while still poking us toward nervous laughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead of running quietly in the background, sleep evangelists are shouting about its importance from the rooftops, and neuroscientists are dragging it out into the light of day on TED Talk stages for further dissection.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Nasdaq shares tumbled more than 5% in the session, dragging the stock into the red week to date.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Cavs looked lethargic, the building lacked energy because the home team gave them nothing to cheer for and now this erratic, inconsistent season could come to an end Monday night.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
-
In a film running a lethargic 2 hours 20 minutes, the Farhadis have kept only the set-up and composer Zbigniew Preisner’s delicate but hauntingly emotional score.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Cue the family strolling through the superstore and shopping.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
-
The model wore a slinky black dress by Massimo Dutti while strolling around the town.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Then came injuries and inactive designations.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
-
The models that were correct in forecasting an active season in 2023, despite a strong El Niño, are this year calling for very strong wind shear, and thus a relatively inactive Atlantic hurricane season.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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