/ 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 .