How to Use linger in a Sentence

linger

verb
  • The tourists didn't linger very long.
  • The idea lingered in their minds.
  • The heat lingered long after the sun had gone down.
  • The smell of her perfume lingered.
  • He lingered in bed and missed breakfast.
  • She lingered at the art exhibit.
  • They lingered over coffee after dinner.
  • But those figures could dip as the air stays cool and the clouds linger.
    Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • The pain still lingers with Terrence Woods Sr., as well.
    Kyani Reid, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2023
  • As the talks lingered, tensions rose — and nerves set in.
    Kristy Hutchings, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Anchorage Daily News, 15 June 2023
  • Not the best, mind you, but memories of this pair still linger.
    Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2023
  • It’s bottled at 110 proof, but the heat is tempered and does not linger.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2023
  • The air was stagnant with the lingering, acrid smell of smoke, rot, and death.
    Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
  • Uranus will linger near Venus but will be harder to spot.
    Amudalat Ajasa, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Questions linger about how well the mandates will work and whether states will stick to the timelines.
    Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Clouds may linger Saturday night with lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s.
    Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
  • The overhang of the chaos of these past few years will linger long after Trump himself is gone.
    Laura Jedeed, The New Republic, 4 Apr. 2023
  • Plus there’s an ex-boyfriend, played by Ryan Vasquez, who lingers at the edges of Creel’s consciousness.
    Vulture, 4 Dec. 2023
  • The effects linger, leaving the body in a constant state of panic.
    Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 26 Apr. 2023
  • Though athletes had been warned to clear the stage, many of them lingered to sing along and take selfies.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2024
  • The friction between Green and Poole lingered over the season.
    Sopan Deb, New York Times, 22 June 2023
  • Temperatures should linger in the low 60s for much of the week for the majority of the Bay Area.
    Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
  • Plush tannins coat the tongue and gums while spice notes linger into a lengthy finish.
    Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
  • Sitake was on board, but the question lingered about how the team wanted to be presented to the world.
    Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • If dirt lingers, fill it with 1/3 part vinegar and 2/3 part water and let soak, then pour out.
    Barbara Bellesi Zito, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
  • In the meantime, in the months since the crash, effects have lingered for Helmer and his family.
    Sarah Freishtat, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2024
  • In the weeks that followed, the physical pain lingered.
    Marisa Renee Lee, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2023
  • The finish is long and sweet with lingering caramel notes.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 3 May 2023
  • Yet outside, gathered in the dark, the guests all lingered by the front door a while longer, not quite ready to say goodbye.
    John Paul Brammer, Bon Appétit, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Like clockwork, the adults grab their seat and linger around a dinner table, a fire pit, or la sala to enjoy the sobremesa hasta que el cuerpo aguante.
    Jasmin Velasco, refinery29.com, 22 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'linger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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