lingered; lingering
ˈliŋ-g(ə-)riŋ 
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
Synonyms
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
Outages linger after Ernesto Ernesto’s center never made landfall over Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands but the system’s strong winds still knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people in total.
—
Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
However, Indiana's Sunday ban lingered for years due mostly to economic reasons, with religious objections rarely being part of the debate.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2024
Despite the larger promoters always lingering in the background, Summer School has a punk rock mentality of staying small and happy to remain at its size while focusing on artist development, with the hope that the artists on the tour will return to the same venues to headline them on their own.
—Wyoming Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
Starbucks’ board did not initially respond or engage with Elliott for some time, driven in part by the lingering influence of Schultz.
—Amelia Lucas,rohan Goswami, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for linger 
Mary Gilbert, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
However, Indiana's Sunday ban lingered for years due mostly to economic reasons, with religious objections rarely being part of the debate.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2024
Despite the larger promoters always lingering in the background, Summer School has a punk rock mentality of staying small and happy to remain at its size while focusing on artist development, with the hope that the artists on the tour will return to the same venues to headline them on their own.
—Wyoming Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
Starbucks’ board did not initially respond or engage with Elliott for some time, driven in part by the lingering influence of Schultz.
—Amelia Lucas,rohan Goswami, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for linger
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'linger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near linger
Cite this Entry
“Linger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linger. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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