to linger
- verb
- /ˈlɪŋɡər/
- When that happens, the shame can linger for decades.
- still lingers
- lingering effect
- lingering doubts
When that happens, the shame can linger for decades.
- When that happens, the shame can linger for decades.
- then it'll linger. There's no change.
- And another thing, don't, please don't linger after your audition.
- But that rumor lingered for years.
- If you always run away from it then it'll linger.
- And that happens to so many of you because you've allowed men to linger longer than they should.
- It will show you the person that your partner is lingering on.
- The bruises will heal, but the memories linger.
- That's the one thing it doesn't linger, thank God.
Examples
-
For those who survived, the echoes of the war experience linger for a lifetime.
-
Sometimes they die, sometimes they linger for a long time.
-
We wanted to create a comfortable space where students would want to linger and look around the shelves.
Academic text (2013) -
However, its shadows still linger in the minds, emotions, and bodies of many of us.
Academic text (1999) -
But that rumor lingered for years.
-
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'd linger by the front window about an hour a day.
Fiction book (1990) -
Failure to communicate is sometimes a lingering disconnect between those working on different parts of a project.
Academic text (2011) -
Philadelphia was Super Bowl bound, but one question still lingered on everyone's mind.
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After the party ended, I decided to linger for a while to enjoy the decorations.
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Even though the rain had stopped, a few drops continued to linger in the air.
Synonyms
To stay in the same place or state and not change
To stay in a place without doing anything important
Stay in a place to wait for something
To remain in a place or job after others leave
To stand or wait in a place without a clear reason
To stay in a place for a long time
To stay near a place longer than necessary because you hesitate
To stay in a place longer than expected
To stay in a place without a clear reason
To waste time instead of doing the work you need
Stay nearby or wait in a place for a short time
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Long
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Linger comes from an old word meaning 'to make long' and is related to the simple word long. So to linger is to stay and make the time feel 'longer', which is why it means to remain somewhere longer than expected.