Linger

Meaning

Linger means to stay somewhere longer than necessary or expected, or to continue to exist, remain, or be felt for a longer time than usual.

Pronunciation

/ˈlɪŋ.ɡər/

Word Forms

• Base form: linger
• Past tense: lingered
• Past participle: lingered
• Present participle: lingering
• Noun: lingering

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

• linger on — to continue for longer than expected.
• linger in the air — to remain noticeable in the air.
• linger in someone's mind — to remain in someone's thoughts.
• linger over something — to spend more time than necessary doing or considering something.
• linger behind — to remain behind others instead of leaving or moving forward.
• linger in memory — to remain remembered for a long time.

Example Sentences

• The smell of smoke lingered in the room long after the fire was gone.
• She lingered by the door, unwilling to leave.
• The memory of that evening continued to linger in his mind.
• He lingered over his coffee while everyone else prepared to leave.
• A feeling of sadness lingered after the conversation ended.

Literary Example

Example:

“The summer lingered, and the autumn came slowly.”

— Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Here, linger means to continue or remain for longer than expected. The word describes the summer continuing into the period when autumn would normally have arrived.

Story Workshop

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Related Words

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