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Linger

Definitions: Linger

Linger

Verb

1. Remain present although waning or gradually dying; "Her perfume lingered on".

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

3. Leave slowly and hesitantly.

4. Take one's time; proceed slowly.

5. Move to and fro; "The shy student lingered in the corner".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "linger" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)


Synonyms: Linger

Synonyms: dawdle (v), footle (v), hang around (v), hover (v), lallygag (v), loaf (v), loiter (v), lollygag (v), lounge (v), lurk (v), mess about (v), mill about (v), mill around (v), tarry (v). (additional references)
Antonym: rush (v). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Linger

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Lateness

Verb: be late; Adjective: tarry, wait, stay, bide, take time; dawdle; (be inactive); linger, loiter; bide one's time, take one's time; gain time; hang fire; stand over, lie over.

Slowness

Verb: move slowly; adVerb: creep, crawl, lag, slug, drawl, linger, loiter, saunter; plod, trudge, stump along, lumber; trail, drag; dawdle; (be inactive); grovel, worm one's way, steal along; job on, rub on, bundle on; toddle, waddle, wabble, slug, traipse, slouch, shuffle, halt, hobble, limp, caludicate, shamble; flag, falter, trotter, stagger; mince, step short; march in slow time, march in funeral procession; take one's time; hang fire; (be late).

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Linger

English words defined with "linger": drag, drop behindget behindhang backlinger over, LingeredOverlingertrailUnwarp. (references)
Specialty definitions using "linger": Chlorinated HydrocarbonsHusbandKINDLING-WOOD. (references)
Etymologies containing "linger": Overlinger. (references)

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Modern Usage: Linger

DomainUsage

Screenplays

We cannot linger. (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; writing credit: Frances Walsh)

Well then, I suppose we can linger for a moment. (Freakazoid!; writing credit: Alan Burnett; Paul Dini)

Your scent is supposed to linger, not change global weather patterns. (Less Than Perfect; writing credit: David Blum; Tom Hertz)

Lyrics

Do you have to let it linger (Linger; performing artist: The Cranberries)

And let it linger on? ("The Thrill Is Gone"; performing artist: B.B. King)

You can linger too long in your dreams (Keeping The Faith; performing artist: Billy Joel)

And we'll linger on (Always Be My Baby; performing artist: Mariah Carey)

Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty ("Downtown"; performing artist: Petula Clark)

Song Titles

Linger (performing artist: The Cranberries)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Linger

DomainTitle

Books

  • Linger (reference)

  • Linger By My Side (reference)

  • Linger Not at Chebar: A Novel of Love and War in Burma (reference)

  • Networking Semiconductor Market Outlook: The Big Storm Has Passed But Clouds Still Linger Overhead [DOWNLOAD: PDF] (reference)

  • Shadows Linger (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Music

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Linger

AuthorQuotation

Henry David Thoreau

We seem but to linger in manhood to tell the dreams of our childhood, and they vanish out of memory ere we learn the language.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Linger

TitleAuthorQuote

A Christmas Carol

Dickens, Charles

I cannot rest, I cannot stay, I cannot linger anywhere.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Linger

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

These damaged cells make up the ischemic penumbra and can linger in a compromised state for several hours. (references)

According to this idea, called the AND gate theory, these events do not have to occur at the same time, but their effects would have to linger and eventually coincide to bring about Alzheimer's disease. (references)

Civil Liberties

Jordan

Although a substantial number of cases are dismissed before trial, many other cases linger in the courts for years. (references)

Economic History

Austria

We've always had a preference for markets that have money to spend, so don't forget to linger a bit in Austria - one of the world's richest nations. (references)

Travel

Saudi Arabia

If you are invited to the home of a Saudi for a party or reception, a meal is normally served at the end of the evening, and guests will not linger long after finishing. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Linger

"Linger" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 71.97% of the time. "Linger" is used about 264 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Lexical Verb (infinitive)71.97%19022,288
Lexical Verb (base form)28.03%7438,813
                    Total100.00%264N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Linger

The following table summarizes the usage of "linger" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified.
NameUsage/GenderUsage per 100
million Persons
Rank in USA
LingerLast name1,00016,857
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expressions: Linger

Expressions using "linger": linger on linger over. Additional references.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Linger

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

  linger

86

  cranberry linger lyrics

23

  linger lyrics

20

  linger lodge

14

  cranberry linger

13

  ero linger

4

  linger longer

2

  have it let linger

2

  linger longer resort

2

  linger plus size

2

  captain linger

2

  cranberry linger mtv video

2

  linger memory precious they

2

  by cranberry linger lyrics

2

  linger so

2

  art gallery linger

2

  linger longer by the sea

2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Linger

Language Translations for "linger"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

zgjatoj (elongate, hold out, lengthen, prolong, protract, reach), zgjatem (continue, dwell on, extend, lengthen, lunge, reach, run, stand out, stretch oneself), zgjat (delay, elongate, extend, hold out, last, lengthen, let down, postpone, prolong, protract, reach, reach out, spread, stretch, telescope), vonoj (be late, delay, detain, hang up, hinder, hold up, procrastinate, retard, slow down, wait), sorollatem (drone, hang around, mosey, Potter), ngurroj (boggle, demur, dither, falter, halt, hang, hesitate, pendulate, scruple, vacillate, wabble, waver, wobble), mbetem (abide, be left, become, fail, hang over, keep, remain, stay). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏توانى (dally, dawdle, delay, loiter, lop, slacken, tarry), ‏تسكع (gad about, hang about, hang around, idling, loaf, loiter, lounge, meander, mess around, mooch, mosey, muck about, perambulate, perambulation, potter, putter, range, roam, slop, slouch, traipse, tramp), ‏تخلف (be in arrears, be retarded, default, drag, drop behind, fall behind, go to sleep, go under, lag, loiter, lurk, retardation, retrograde, tardiness), ‏تريث (temporize), ‏تباطأ (dawdle, decelerate, lag, slop, slow). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

спирам се дълго, точа се (roll, wear, wear out), влача се (crawl, lollop, lounge about, plod, roll, shamble, shuffle, slouch, toil, trapes, trapse, wear away), мотам се (hang about, hang around, lallygag), мая се (lag, procrastinate, stooge around), бавя се (pause, procrastinate), потривам се (loiter), помайвам се (delay a little). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

徘徊 (hover, roam, wander). (various references)

   

Czech

  

loudat se (amble, dally, dawdle, dawdle about, dawdle over one's work, hang back, hang behind, lag, loiter, saunter, trail, traipse), zdržovat se (reside, Tarry), trvat (insist, last, remain, span, subsist), prodlévat (pause), nepolevovat, doznívat (die away, fade out). (various references)

   

Danish

  

partikler,som ved sedimentation eller Brown'ske bevaegelser er aflejret i den nederste del af lungerne,kan forblive i maanedsvis paa steder,hvor luftvejen ikke er forsynet med fimreepitel (particles can linger for months when deposited at the base of the lungs by sedimentation or Brownian movement - a place where the wall of the respiratory passages is not lined with ciliated epithelium). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

stofdeeltjes, die door sedimentatie of brownbeweging in de diepst gelegen delen van de longen worden afgezet, dus daar, waar de wand van de luchtwegen niet met trilhaarepitheel is bedekt, kunnen daar vele maanden aanwezig blijven (particles can linger for months when deposited at the base of the lungs by sedimentation or Brownian movement - a place where the wall of the respiratory passages is not lined with ciliated epithelium). (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

مرددبودن (Hesitate, Oscillate, Scotch, Vacillate, Wobble), تاخیرکردن (Dally, Defer, Delay, Demurrage, Lag, Loiter, Retard, Tarry), دیررفتن , دم اخرراگذراندن , درنگ کردن (Let, Tarry). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

viivytellä (be long, delay, loiter), viipyä (delay, stay, stay on, stop, to stay), kitua (languish, suffer pain), hidastella (be slow, delay, loiter). (various references)

   

French

  

lambiner, traîner, s'attarder (linger on), rester en arrière. (various references)

   

German

  

verweilen (abide, abode, pause, rest, sojourn, stay, Tarry, to pause). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

χρονοτριβώ (dally, delay, lag, play for time, procrastinate, tarry, temporarize, temporize, whiles), εκπνέω βραδέωσ, αργοπορώ (delay, linger on, procrastinate). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

לשהות (abide, pause, sojourn, stay), להתמהמה (delay, procrastinate), להשתהות (dally). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

idõzik (sojourn), habozik (be in two minds, demur, hesitate, jib, to be in two minds about sg, to check, to demur, to dither, to draw back, to falter, to hang back, to hang fire, to hold back, to jib, to linger, to scruple, to shilly-shally, to stagger, to straddle, to vacillate, to wabble, to waver, waver), õgyeleg (hang out, saunter, stick around). (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

tetap hidup, berayal (tarry). (various references)

   

Italian

  

permanere, indugiare (boggle, delay, Tarry), attardarsi (lag). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

揺曳 (flutter). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

ようえい (flutter). (various references)

   

Korean 

  

오래 머무르십시요. (various references)

   

Manx

  

tannaghtyn foddey (lingering), feiyal (delay, fuss, hang back, hinder, procrastinate, wait). (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

somle, nøle (falter, hesitate). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

ingerlay

   

Portuguese

  

tardar (loiter, Tarry), protelar (defer, protract, put off, shelve, stave off, stay, wait, waive), donzela (damsel, maid, maiden, may, virgin), demorar (dally, defer, delay, draggle, dweller, hold up, keep up, procrastination, prolongation, protract, retard, slow, Tarry, wait). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

lâncezi (drag along, languish, mope, wilt), zãbovi (lag, loiter, Tarry), sta pe gânduri, se codi (shuffle, sway), rãtãci (loiter, lose, meander, Miss, ramble, rove, straggle, stroll), persista (continue, hold fast, persist), hoinãri (dally, gad, loaf, loiter, loll about, meander, ramble, roam, rove, saunter, scour about, stand about, stroll, wander), dãinui (endure, keep, last, live, survive), şovãi (back, boggle, falter, fluctuate, hang back, hesitate, pause, shilly shally, shuffle, spare, stagger, vacillate, waver), a-şi pierde, întârzia (defer, delay, drive, impede, lag, laten, lose, retard, stave off). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

задерживаться (dwelt, hold off, lag, lingered, stat out late, times-out). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

ležati na samrti, razvlačiti (spin out, stall), otezati (drag out), oklevati (belie, demur, hesitate, jib, pause, procrastinate, shilly shally, traduce), ići polako (drift). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

tardar (be detained, be kept in, be late, be slow, dally, delay, latest, lope, postpone, remain, stay on, take, Tarry), ser lento, ser duro (last), retardarse, remolonear (skive), quedarse atrás (be detained, be kept in, drop behind, fall behind, get behind, hang back, lag, lag behind, remain, stay on, tarry), persistir (exist, insist, persevere, persist, subsist), permanecer (abide, bide, bleiben, keep, last, live for a time, remain, sojourn, stay, stay in), durar (continue, endure, hold out, hold up, keep on, last, last out, live out), dilatarse (dilate, expand). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

söla (dally, doodle away, draggle, lag, loiter, soil), fortleva (live on, survive). (various references)

   

Thai

  

ใกล้ตาย (lie at death's door), อ้อยอิ่ง (tarry), ยังเหลืออยู่ (remain), ปล่อยเวลาให้ผ่านไปอย่างไม่รีบร้อน. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

uzamak (augment, continue, draw out, elongate, extend, grow longer, hold over, lengthen, pull out, scat, stretch, sweep), oyalanmak (amuse oneself, be amused, be pleased with, dally, delay, dilly dally, disport oneself, fool, fool about, fool around, footle, fribble, frivol, hang out, loiter, mess around, monkey around, piddle, play around, Potter, potter about, potter at, procrastinate, stay, Tarry, trifle, trifle with, waste time), geçmişte kalmak, geçmek bilmemek (drag, drag behind, wear away, wear on), durmak (be, cease, come to a halt, come to a stop, discontinue, draw rein, draw up, endure, halt, harp, hold, hold on, intermit, keep, let up, pack up, pull in, pull up, remain, rest, run down, stall, stand, stay, stop), can çekişmek (agonize, be at death's door), ayrılamamak. (various references)

   

Turkmen 

  

ykmak (loaf around), tдsgenmek (be delayed, suspend), haяal-яagallyk etmek (hesitate). (various references)

   

Ukranian 

  

гаяти час (back pedal, lose one's time), затримуватися (bait, hold off, pause, stick), баритися (back pedal, balance, delay, dilly dally, procrastinate, stay). (various references)

   

Welsh

  

ymdroi (dawdle, loiter). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Linger

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

commorabitur, commorabuntur, commorantem, commorantes, commorantium, commorantur, commorari, commorata, commoratae, commorati, commoratique, commoratus, commoremur, commorer, commoror, consistant, consistens, consistentes, consistere, consisteret, consistite, consistunt, constiterant, demoror, moror. (various references)

Old English450-1100

lengan. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Linger

Derivations

Words beginning with "linger": lingered, lingerer, lingerers, lingerie, lingeries, lingering, lingeringly, lingers. (additional references)

Words ending with "linger": clinger, flinger, gunslinger, malinger, mudslinger, slinger, willinger. (additional references)

Words containing "linger": clingers, flingers, gunslingers, malingered, malingerer, malingerers, malingering, malingers, mudslingers, slingers. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Linger" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Kingery, Klingel, klinger, Lagnier, langer, langor, launger, lenge, lengeh, lenger, Ligger, liguer, ligur, Linberg, linder, Linga, Lingara, Linge, lingera, lingere, lingeri, lingery, lingier, lingre, linje, Linzer, loger, longera, longeri, longeu, Lunger, lynger, pinger, plinger, Yinger. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Linger"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "linger" (pronounced li"ngger or li"nger)
4-i" ng g erfinger.
3-ng g eranger, fishmonger, forefinger, gangbanger, hunger, longer, monger, warmonger, younger.
4l i" ng erClinger, Slinger.
3-i" ng erbinger, dinger, ringer, singer, springer, stinger, Stringer, swinger, winger, wringer, zinger.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Linger

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "e-g-i-l-n-r"

-1 letter: ingle, liger, liner, reign, renig.

-2 letters: gien, girl, girn, glen, grin, lien, lier, line, ling, lire, rein, riel, rile, ring.

-3 letters: eng, erg, ern, gel, gen, gie, gin, ire, leg, lei, lie, lin, nil, reg, rei, rig, rin.

-4 letters: el, en, er, in, li, ne, re.

 Words containing the letters "e-g-i-l-n-r"
 

+1 letter: aligner, clinger, cringle, engrail, erlking, flinger, gremlin, jingler, leering, lingers, lingier, mingler, nargile, niggler, realign, reeling, reginal, relying, ringlet, slinger, tingler.

 

+2 letters: alerting, algerine, aligners, allergin, altering, blearing, clearing, clerking, clingers, clingier, creeling, cringles, dragline, eloigner, engirdle, engrails, erlkings, erringly, feruling, finagler, fleering, flingers, florigen, gainlier, ganglier, geranial, geraniol, germinal, gingerly, glycerin, gnarlier, grapline, gremlins, grueling, hireling, indulger, integral, janglier, jinglers, jinglier, junglier, kinglier, lagering, layering, learning, levering, ligroine, lingered, lingerer, lingerie, lowering, maligner, malinger, minglers, narghile, nargileh, nargiles, nigglers, pearling, periling, raveling, realigns, reddling, reedling, refiling, reflying, regaling, regional, regluing, reguline, relacing, relating, relaxing, relaying, religion, relining, reliving, reluming, reoiling, replying, resiling, resoling, retiling, reveling, reviling, riesling, ringlets, ringlike, roweling, shingler, signaler, slangier, slingers, sniggler, sterling, tanglier, tinglers, tinglier, trebling, triangle, ulcering, veluring, yearling.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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Alternative Orthography: Linger


Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)

4C 69 6E 67 65 72

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)

American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)

=

Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)

Braille (1829, in France) (references)

Morse Code (1836) (references)

.-..    ..    -.    --.    .    .-.

Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)

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Bibliographic Items: "linger"


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Amazon.com BOOKS: Search for: "linger"

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Public Service or Web Sites Triggered by: Linger