as in lingering
Related Words
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of loitering
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 June 2026
On one particular muggy day, there had been only a few young men loitering outside before their swim.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
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
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
Verb
In light of modern threat scenarios—particularly the widespread use of drones and loitering munitions—the Skyranger closes a critical capability gap for Western armed forces.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 June 2026
On one particular muggy day, there had been only a few young men loitering outside before their swim.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
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
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
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
-
And while research shows that exercise supports healthy sleep by regulating body temperature, mood, metabolism and circadian rhythm, Weiner cautions that exercising too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep by delaying sleep onset, shortening sleep duration and lowering overall sleep quality.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
The remaining providers are stretched thin, and patients are traveling farther for care — often delaying prenatal visits or arriving in labor without adequate support.—
Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams,
STAT,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Law enforcement said Woods, who was uninjured but appeared lethargic, was showing signs of impairment at the scene.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
-
The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brockermeyer, an undrafted rookie from Miami, earned first-team snaps in an OTA practice where Neuzil was inactive.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
-
Cooper explains that while scientists have documented placebo responses for centuries, the phenomenon gained broader recognition in the early 20th century as researchers realized patients often improved even after receiving inactive treatments.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
The model estimates that 35 percent to 55 percent of consumers are non-inert.—
HEC Paris Insights,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Yet the latest round of fighting has underscored the group’s resilience, dragging Lebanon into a regional war and drawing the Israeli military back to a familiar southern Lebanon terrain.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
-
According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loitering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loitering. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
