to linger too long
2
4.6
- phrasal verb
:
quedarse demasiado tiempo
- Let's not linger too long here.
Because I'm a firm believer that we need to learn to not let these dating situations linger on too long.
- Because I'm a firm believer that we need to learn to not let these dating situations linger on too long.
- Now that allows us to to always have that space where we can come together and address things without things lingering on too long.
Examples
-
But nobody had invited Maks, and if he lingered too long, the computers would spot him as a suspicious person.
Fiction book (2000) -
At the door, he lingered too long.
Fiction book (1991) -
A couple of times last year, she lingered too long.
Fiction book (1997) -
We have allowed this curse to linger too long.
-
We've lingered here too long.
Fiction book (2002) -
If Wilson sometimes feels overwhelmed, though, she doesn't allow herself to linger there for too long.
Blog text (23) -
I lingered too long by these chairs, as a friend and I stopped to take a photo of the seemingly empty street; suddenly, three people jumped out of cars on the block and ran over.
Blog text (18) -
Which was actually funnier and shorter and which, sometimes you need to just hit the joke and move on and don't linger too long.
-
We have lingered too long in the enchanted wardrobes, Madge and I, and are in disgrace with the others for our tardiness, which has nearly lost them the train...
Blog text (22) -
After the meeting, I realized I had lingered too long in the conference room and missed my next appointment.
Synonyms
407
2.0
To stay in a place without doing anything important
332
2.9
Stay in a place to wait for something
207
3.7
To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave
111
3.4
To remain in a place or job after others leave
12
3.4
To stay near a place longer than necessary because you hesitate
8
4.5
Spend too much time thinking or talking about something
7
7.5
To stay in a place longer than expected
3
4.4
To stay in a place without a clear reason
1
7.0
Stay too long and make people feel annoyed
To delay longer than you should and risk missing something
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remain in a place or situation for more time than is necessary or advisable' is directly composed from 'linger' (to stay longer) modified by 'too long' (exceeding a suitable or required duration), so the sense is predictable from the parts. This modifier + verb pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English composition, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Linger too long comes from the simple picture of someone who stays behind after others leave, like missing the last bus because you lingered at the stop. The word linger means 'to stay' and too long means 'for longer than is a good idea', so the phrase means 'to remain in a place or situation longer than is a good idea'.