LINGER


Meaning of LINGER in English

/ ˈlɪŋgə(r); NAmE / verb [ v ]

1.

linger (on) to continue to exist for longer than expected :

The faint smell of her perfume lingered in the room.

The civil war lingered on well into the 1930s.

2.

[usually + adv. / prep. ] to stay somewhere for longer because you do not want to leave; to spend a long time doing sth :

She lingered for a few minutes to talk to Nick.

We lingered over breakfast on the terrace.

3.

linger (on sb/sth) to continue to look at sb/sth or think about sth for longer than usual :

His eyes lingered on the diamond ring on her finger.

4.

linger (on) to stay alive but become weaker :

He lingered on for several months after the heart attack.

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WORD ORIGIN

Middle English (in the sense dwell, abide ): frequentative of obsolete leng prolong , of Germanic origin; related to German längen make long(er), also to long .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.