linger

verb

lin·​ger ˈliŋ-gər 

lingered; lingering ˈliŋ-g(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to be slow in parting or in quitting something : tarry

fans lingered outside the door

2

a

: to remain existent although often waning in strength, importance, or influence

lingering doubts

lingering odors

b

: to remain alive although gradually dying

was seriously ill, but lingered on for several months

3

: to be slow to act : procrastinate

He lingered in settling the estate in order to increase his fees.

4

: to move slowly : saunter

lingering homeward

transitive verb

1

: to pass (a period of time) slowly

2

obsolete : delay

lingerer

ˈliŋ-gər-ər 

noun

lingeringly

ˈliŋ-g(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• crawl
• creep
• dally
• dawdle
• delay
• diddle
• dillydally
• drag
• lag
• loiter
• lollygag
• lallygag
• mope
• poke
• shilly-shally
• tarry

Examples of linger in a Sentence

The tourists didn't linger very long.

She lingered at the art exhibit.

He lingered in bed and missed breakfast.

They lingered over coffee after dinner.

The heat lingered long after the sun had gone down.

The smell of her perfume lingered.

The idea lingered in their minds.

Recent Examples on the Web

There is lingering cold air in the eastern U.S., but it is expected to move out in the coming days. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

My only quibble with this adaptation is the pacing, which suffers thanks to a few unnecessary backstory additions and a few too many long, lingering shots and pregnant pauses that even mess up the flow of some iconic songs. —Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024

For his part, Jennings said his early miss in the end zone didn’t linger in his head and lead to the interceptions. —Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024

Trump ran for president on the idea that increased oil and natural gas production would reduce costs for U.S. voters who were left frustrated by a 2022 inflationary spike that still lingers. —Josh Boak and Raf Casert The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 21 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (northern dialect) lengeren to dwell, frequentative of lengen to prolong, from Old English lengan; akin to Old English lang long

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

linger

verb

lin·​ger ˈliŋ-gər 

lingered; lingering -g(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to be slow in quitting a place or activity

lingered in bed

2

: to be slow to act

lingerer

-gər-ər 

noun

lingeringly

-g(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb