as in delayed
to move or act slowly
since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work
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Recent Examples of lingered
The last Super El Niño reshaped weather and economies around the world, leaving disruptions that lingered long after the Pacific cooled.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Others lingered near the bar, clutching cocktails and scanning the room before finally introducing themselves to strangers.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 19 May 2026
Joao Gomes, one of the few current players to escape the wrath of disgruntled supporters, lingered on the pitch after his team-mates had left following a brief, post-match lap of appreciation.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Negga and Skarsgård lingered over the long tables filled with food, but both had to leave early to catch the next film.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 May 2026
But Polis, whose final term ends early next year, will also leave office having checked off some issues that have lingered for years.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
And while the night sweats and the respiratory stuff cleared up pretty quickly, the fatigue lingered for two and a half weeks.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
His oblique muscle strain lingered longer than initially anticipated.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Still, the conception that this is a disease of the ovaries has lingered.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 12 May 2026
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Others lingered near the bar, clutching cocktails and scanning the room before finally introducing themselves to strangers.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 19 May 2026
Joao Gomes, one of the few current players to escape the wrath of disgruntled supporters, lingered on the pitch after his team-mates had left following a brief, post-match lap of appreciation.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Negga and Skarsgård lingered over the long tables filled with food, but both had to leave early to catch the next film.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 May 2026
But Polis, whose final term ends early next year, will also leave office having checked off some issues that have lingered for years.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
And while the night sweats and the respiratory stuff cleared up pretty quickly, the fatigue lingered for two and a half weeks.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
His oblique muscle strain lingered longer than initially anticipated.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Still, the conception that this is a disease of the ovaries has lingered.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingered
Verb
-
Timelines for the deployment of solid-state and sodium-ion batteries, seen as the next step in cutting-edge technology, have been delayed, however.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
-
Waiting until major fires start often means limited options, delayed shipping and inflated prices.—
Ryan Brennan
May 19,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Chinese firms have dragged their feet in purchasing the chips after the Chinese government encouraged them to turn to domestic chipmakers like Huawei.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
Another witness described seeing a woman dragged from a vehicle, pinned against a wall, repeatedly raped and then stabbed, with the assault allegedly continuing after her death.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The Angels added two runs in the eighth inning when Josh Lowe poked a double just over the head of Gelof at third base to score Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
-
In the same show, Louis Theroux made a cameo, and Gatwa poked fun at his time as Doctor Who.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Woods ultimately crawled out of the passenger side of his Land Rover after the crash.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
-
When a Republican says something foolish, network anchors react like a gator just crawled into the studio wearing a MAGA hat.—
Larry Clifton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Just around the corner from the rally on Tajrish Square, in a tranquil park near the Cinema Museum of Iran, locals perused an open-air book stall and sipped tea, while couples strolled hand in hand.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
The candidate strolled in with a videographer and photographer.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Other executives, coaches and support staff loitered in the hall, speaking in hushed tones if at all.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
In the petition filing, Buckingham wrote that Dick had loitered around his and his family members’ homes, called repeatedly and left threatening voicemails, and taped a photo collage of herself and Buckingham to his mailbox.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the middle of his soiree, the Spaniard had crept away from the other guests to tell Smit some exciting news.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
Security cameras showed the moment three masked suspects crept through the backyard of a La Cañada home before forcing their way inside.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingered. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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