Meaning & use

linger

verb·Academic

To stay somewhere longer than necessary or expected, often reluctant to leave.

See it in a sentence

We lingered at the restaurant table long after finishing dessert.

A faint smell of smoke lingered in the room for days after the fire.

A note on using this word

Can describe people staying in place, or things like smells, feelings, and illnesses persisting.

Words with a similar meaning

remaindawdletarry

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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