Word
linger
US/ˈɫɪŋɝ/
UK/lˈɪŋɡɐ/
Definitions
01to stay in a place
v. to stay in a place longer than you need to, usually because you do not want to leave.
v. to remain in a location or situation longer than is customary or necessary, typically out of reluctance to depart.
“The guests continued to linger in the hallway long after the party ended.”
“The students tended to linger in the courtyard after the final bell, unwilling to head home while the weather remained so pleasant.”
Usage
Intransitive; often followed by 'at', 'in', or 'around'.
02to remain or persist
v. to continue to exist for a long time, like a smell in the air or a feeling in your mind.
v. to persist or remain present although gradually fading or disappearing.
“The smell of fresh coffee continued to linger in the kitchen all morning.”
“Although the crisis had passed, a sense of unease continued to linger among the staff for several weeks.”
Usage
Often used with abstract subjects like 'doubt', 'scent', or 'memory'.
03to die slowly
v. to stay alive for a long time while becoming weaker or closer to death.
v. to remain alive while gradually weakening or approaching death; to endure in a state of decline.
“The old traditions began to linger in small villages even as the cities changed.”
“The patient continued to linger for several days, showing a remarkable but tragic strength as his systems slowly failed.”
Literary
Usage
Intransitive.
Antonyms
04to look or think for a long time
v. to spend a long time looking at something or thinking about an idea.
v. to dwell on a thought, subject, or visual detail for an extended period.
“Her eyes started to linger on the old photograph as she remembered her childhood.”
“The essay lingers over the minor details of the poet's life, perhaps at the expense of analyzing the work itself.”
Literary
Usage
Usually takes the preposition 'on' or 'over'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Neighbourhood children linger outside the compound gate, drawn by the rhythm of the singing and the hollow beat of the improvised drum.” “Though the Met Office amber warning for extreme heat that covered large swathes of England on Thursday expired at midnight, high temperatures will linger in central and eastern parts of England on Friday.” “It is a multi-generational bruise that lingers for many Scottish people more than 300 years later.” Etymology
From Middle English lengeren, frequentative of lengen (“to stay, dwell, tarry”), from Old English lenġan (“to lengthen, delay, extend”), from Proto-West Germanic langijan, from Proto-Germanic langijaną (compare West Frisian lingje (“to linger”), Dutch lengen, German längen, Icelandic lengja (“to lengthen”)), related to the root of English long. Equivalent to linge or long + -er (frequentative verb suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
linger on — To continue to ponder or observe something for longer than normal.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/linger