as in residual
still existing or happening after something is completed or removed
The area is still feeling the lingering effects of the hurricane. There are lingering questions about the extent of his involvement in the crime.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lingering
Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
The performance was impacted by the lingering effects of operational challenges, delivery delays and store closures initiated last year.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
Many of Kennedy’s initial attacks against immunizations have focused on COVID vaccines, capitalizing on lingering and highly politicized resentment over pandemic-era policies.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
While the presumption was always that Messi would renew with the Herons, the news quells any lingering anxiety.
—Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
If there was any question about a lingering knee issue, though, Simmons answered those in a few seconds against the Eagles.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Grove Collaborative recommends starting with wipes to eliminate any lingering gunk.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
The sudden flurry of diplomacy came despite lingering tensions over trade and security between the world’s two largest economies.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite the lingering heat, cardigans and chunky knits are calling my name.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Still, there was a lingering hesitancy that often got in his way.
—Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
The performance was impacted by the lingering effects of operational challenges, delivery delays and store closures initiated last year.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
Many of Kennedy’s initial attacks against immunizations have focused on COVID vaccines, capitalizing on lingering and highly politicized resentment over pandemic-era policies.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
While the presumption was always that Messi would renew with the Herons, the news quells any lingering anxiety.
—Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
If there was any question about a lingering knee issue, though, Simmons answered those in a few seconds against the Eagles.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Grove Collaborative recommends starting with wipes to eliminate any lingering gunk.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
The sudden flurry of diplomacy came despite lingering tensions over trade and security between the world’s two largest economies.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite the lingering heat, cardigans and chunky knits are calling my name.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingering
Adjective
-
It’s often said that, in New Orleans’ French Quarter, the dead outnumber the living, that residual energy from the past continues to inhabit the neighborhood’s 300-year-old buildings and mysterious courtyards.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Lending And Private Credit Loaning money is one of the easiest ways to earn residual income.—
Justin Donald,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The long-term effect is a generation carrying debt, stuck in low-wage jobs, and delaying milestones like homeownership or starting families.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Flush-fit door handles fail far more often during side impacts than regular handles, delaying egress or rescue time after a crash.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, the healthcare industry has long prioritized the patient experience, often at the expense of clinicians, but lasting impact comes from designing for both.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The results were ugly and caused lasting damage to our citizens' livelihoods and our city's reputation.—
Ted Wheeler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moncur struggled for seven minutes, dragging Blaze — who was locked on her arm — to the front of the facility in search of help.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The trends have contributed to a slump in consumer confidence, dragging on spending and threatening leaders’ official growth target for this year of around 5%.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Fans catapulted themselves through the air, crawling onto the stage.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Sep. 2025
-
But the line is wildly popular—the launch of a collaboration with the street artist KAWS sparked a frenzy in China in 2019, with shoppers crawling under shutters, removing clothes from mannequins, and putting one another in headlocks to get the shirts before they were gone.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Coachella hasn’t sold out since 2023, despite its release dates creeping earlier in the calendar each year.—
Arielle Gordon,
Pitchfork,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Moms pushed babies in strollers on a road divided by a median of blowing sand and creeping ice plant succulents, still striped with dotted white lines marking what used to be driving lanes.—
Janie Har,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lingering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingering. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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