linger

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈlɪŋ.ɡər/
US: /ˈlɪŋ.ɡɚ/

  1. To stay longer than necessary or expected.

    1. Don't linger here; let's go home now.
    2. The smell of smoke seemed to linger in the air long after the fire was out.

  2. To be slow to disappear or die.

    1. The effects of the medicine may linger for a few hours.
    2. Despite treatment, her illness continued to linger, making recovery slow.

Synonyms

delay stay dawdle persist remain
linger noun

  1. A remaining period.

    1. There is a linger of warmth.
    2. After the rain, there was a pleasant linger in the air.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "linger" in English means: To stay longer than necessary or expected., To be slow to disappear or die..

The phonetic transcription of "linger" is /ˈlɪŋ.ɡər/ in British English and /ˈlɪŋ.ɡɚ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "linger": delay, stay, dawdle, persist, remain.

Example usage of "linger": "Don't linger here; let's go home now.". More examples on the page.