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Glite Dictionary
to linger in the air

to linger in the air

1 4.9
Stay in the air so people can still smell or notice it
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : permanecer en el aire
  • The smell of gunpowder and incense lingered in the air.
  • smoke lingered in the air
  • smell lingered in the air
  • gunpowder lingered in the air

Examples

  • The storm had blown over, but a waft of rain still lingered in the air.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • I love the delicate peace that lingers in the air, the community slowly awakening to a new day.

    Blog text (3)

  • Her voice is cool and smooth, like blue smoke, and it lingers in the air after she leaves.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Your voice, grief-laden, lingers in the air.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The smoke of half-burned incense still lingers in the air around the stone slabs.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The odor of Julian's cigars lingered in the air.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • She knew even before she entered that he was within; the telltale scent of his pipe smoke lingered in the air.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Hints of wood and smoke linger in the air from the last time he roasted raw materials for his elixirs.

    Blog text (6)

  • Their perfume lingered in the air, and my Tante memorized their fragrance before the smoke soured her clothes and the walls.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The distinctive aroma of linger in the air apple pie lingered in the air after the family dinner.

Synonyms

to hang
vsto linger in the air
771 3.7

To stay in the air or in a place, often as a feeling

stays noticeable after the original smell or feeling has gone
to linger
vsto linger in the air
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

is about a sensation remaining after its source has left

Antonyms

to disappear
∞ 1.0

To stop being seen or to no longer be there

to fade away
69 3.0

To become weaker and then disappear over time

How Long

to endure
94 3.6
to persist
61 3.5
to linger in the air
1 4.9
to subside
47 4.8
to fade
531 1.2
to die away
8 4.2

Surface Forms

linger in the air infinitive
lingered in the air past
lingered in the air past participle
lingering in the air present participle
lingers in the air third person singular

Morphology

linger + in + the + air

The meaning is directly derivable from 'linger' (to stay) combined with the locative phrase 'in the air' (where something is present); a learner who knows these words will readily infer that a smell or feeling remains noticeable for a time. This is a standard compositional verb + prepositional phrase pattern found across languages and common in English collocation, so it is immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Linger in the air creates the picture of a smell or feeling that stays even after its source has gone. The word linger means 'to stay' and air is the space around us, so the phrase describes something that continues to be noticed and that's why it means 'to remain noticeable'.