Definitions for linger
ˈlɪŋ gərlin·ger

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. lingerverb

   remain present although waning or gradually dying

   "Her perfume lingered on"

2. loiter, lounge, footle, lollygag, loaf, lallygag, hang around, mess about, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill aroundverb

   be about

   "The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square"; "Who is this man that is hanging around the department?"

3. tarry, lingerverb

   leave slowly and hesitantly

4. linger, dawdleverb

   take one's time; proceed slowly

5. hover, lingerverb

   move to and fro

   "The shy student lingered in the corner"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. lingerverb

   To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so.

   Etymology: leng "to lengthen, delay" (11-16 centuries), from Old English lengan, probably of Indo-European origin (cognates include persian لنگ)

2. lingerverb

   To remain alive or existent although still proceeding toward death or extinction; to die gradually.

   Etymology: leng "to lengthen, delay" (11-16 centuries), from Old English lengan, probably of Indo-European origin (cognates include persian لنگ)

3. lingerverb

   To consider or contemplate for a period of time; to engage in analytical thinking or discussion.

   Etymology: leng "to lengthen, delay" (11-16 centuries), from Old English lengan, probably of Indo-European origin (cognates include persian لنگ)

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Lingeradjective

   to delay; to loiter; to remain or wait long; to be slow or reluctant in parting or moving; to be slow in deciding; to be in suspense; to hesitate

2. Lingerverb

   to protract; to draw out

3. Lingerverb

   to spend or pass in a lingering manner; -- with out; as, to linger out one's days on a sick bed

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Linger

   "Linger" is a song composed by Irish musicians Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan of the rock band The Cranberries, released in 1993. The song, which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band's first major hit, peaking at #3 in the Republic of Ireland, #8 in the United States and #14 in the UK. In the documentary '99 Love Life & Rock 'n' Roll, O'Riordan says that the song is about her first serious kiss. "Linger" was listed as #86 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Linger

   ling′gėr, v.i. to remain long in any state: to loiter.—v.t. (Shak.) to prolong, protract: (with out) to pass in a tedious manner.—n. Ling′erer.—adj. Ling′ering, protracted.—n. a remaining long.—advs. Ling′eringly; Ling′erly (rare). [A.S. lengan, to protract—lang, long.]

Matched Categories

1. • Hesitate
   • Leave
   • Move
   • Stay

How to pronounce linger?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say linger in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of linger in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of linger in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of linger in a Sentence

1. Lucius Annaeus Seneca:

   The primary sign of a well-ordered mind is a man's ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company.

2. Mark Lowcock:

   From a financial standpoint, the cheapest strategy is to invest at this point... rather than let the outbreak linger and invest at a later point.

3. Craig Smith:

   Starting out, you need a passion for the outdoors, shooting animals is all about having enough time to linger for an extended amount of time waiting for the right shot.

4. RayRox360:

   Everyone lies. It's not a sad fact, I don't think. Barely even a fact at all. Just...a reality. Something that was always true and will always continue to be true. It's something we all accept, whether we want to admit it or not. We all lie. Every one of us. And it's not just a one-time thing either. It's constant. We do it over and over again. And why wouldn't we? Parents lie to their kids, teach them how to lie right back to them, breeding a new generation of people born into distortion, born into a world of deceit and falsehood disguised as reality. And what can you expect from them? Can you really expect them to turn out pure and innocent when they're constantly being fed their parents' inventions, their teachers' stories? They pick up on those things. I did, at least. Maybe it was just me, though. It's not something you grow out of. As you get older, you keep on lying. You lie about everything, to everyone, at one point or another. You lie about your career when your parents ask how happy you are staying in your dead-end office cubicle counting down the seconds until you can go home and start the cycle of monotony over again. You lie to your spouse promising you'll love them till the end of time, not realizing that sooner or later, that love will run out. And not just for them, for anyone and anything. It never lasts. Nothing does. You lie to strangers when they ask you what you believe, what you pray to, what you curse when things don't work out, spouting some scripted verse you learned as a child and stapled into your head, reciting lines you don't really understand to people you don't really care about, if only to convince yourself that you really do have a clue, that you aren't just flying blind in a sea of the unknown. And then there are the lies that stand out over all the others. The lies we tell ourselves. There's something different about them, something...bitter. Lies you tell to other people, they breeze in, announce themselves and then float right back out. They never linger in your head for longer than it took to talk to the person, discarding themselves as unimportant the second that person leaves your line of sight, never to be seen or thought of again. But the lies we tell ourselves, they don't leave. They don't breeze right back out. They linger, hover before your eyes, tracing over each and every detail until it's burned in your head, until you can recreate it over and over again with perfect precision, not a single word out of place, until that lie has completely overtaken you, washing away anything and everything until it is all that remains. Until it is nothing but the truth. Those lies are the most powerful...the most dangerous. Because unlike the lies we throw at others, the lies we tell ourselves are so much louder, so much brighter, so much more painful. When you can't live with what's in front of you, so you have to create something else, a new reality for you to live in and accept as truth. Because it is the truth. It's the truth you want. And at the end of the day...what else matters? Certainly not the little fib you woke up telling yourself. After all, what harm can come from one little lie? In hindsight, we both should have known it could never be that simple.

5. James Zhan:

   The effects of the pandemic on investment will linger, investors are likely to remain cautious in committing capital to new overseas productive assets.

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