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.
  • All that said, the looks that linger the most for me are the unique ones.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 28 June 2022
  • Shower odds will linger in the evening at 60%, the NWS said.
    — Joe Mario Pedersen, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2022
  • These questions, whether fair or not, linger at the edges of the strike.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2022
  • But those figures could dip as the air stays cool and the clouds linger.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • On Sunday, the clouds are likely to linger much of the day.
    — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Nov. 2022
  • The pain still lingers with Terrence Woods Sr., as well.
    — Kyani Reid, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2023
  • This too is more a metaphor, & makes the grieving man a room to linger in or leave.
    — Mairead Small Staid, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2022
  • 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
  • Right away, your hair should look and feel better, and the scent should linger all day too.
    — Annie Burdick, Peoplemag, 19 Oct. 2022
  • There was a ‘full circle’ air around us that still lingers.
    — Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 9 Jan. 2025
  • 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
  • Some of the same complaints that have trailed the iPhone for years still linger, and these are pricey devices.
    — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 21 Sep. 2022
  • Questions linger about how well the mandates will work and whether states will stick to the timelines.
    — Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023
  • The 48-hour event wrapped up last night, but hardcore shoppers know that the deals linger for days to come.
    — Talia Abbas, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2022
  • But the ghosts of these programs will linger in the bloated ECB balance sheet.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 9 June 2022
  • The cool weather is expected to linger in the metro during the first part of next week.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
  • This light cedarwood scent smells great but doesn’t linger all day.
    — John Thompson, Men's Health, 10 Nov. 2022
  • What kind of pop group was so willing to linger over death and taxes?
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Dip the Blooms: Submerge the flowers in a bowl of cool water for a few seconds to rinse off any lingering ants.
    — Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2025
  • And Ange Postecoglou, whose recent relationship with the crowd has been up and down, to put it mildly, lingered in front of them, warmly applauding them, being applauded back, soaking up the moment.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 9 May 2025

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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