linger

linger — verb

1. To stay in a place longer than usual after an event ends or after other people l

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

To stay in a place longer than usual after an event ends or after other people leave, often because moving on feels difficult or you are enjoying the moment.

例句

Soraya lingered at the door, not ready to say goodbye to her guests.

linger at + place for reluctant departure

The smell of grilled fish lingered in the apartment long after dinner was over.

subject = smell; linger in + location

同義詞
  • tarry

    older, more literary; very uncommon in modern everyday speech

  • dawdle

    suggests wasting time or moving slowly on purpose; a bit more negative

  • hover

    emphasises staying near a place without fully entering or leaving

  • loiter

    often negative, suggesting standing around with no clear purpose

反義詞
  • leave

    the opposite action — going away promptly rather than staying

  • depart

    more formal; suggests a clean break rather than gradual leaving

  • hurry away

    opposite in manner — moving quickly rather than taking time

文法句型

linger + (preposition + noun phrase)

linger + adverb

用法筆記

Commonly used with prepositions of location or duration (at, in, over, on, after). The subject is typically a person or a sensory phenomenon (smell, sound, taste). This sense is rarely used in the passive voice.

常見錯誤

❌I lingered the party because I was having fun.
✅I lingered at the party because I was having fun.
💡linger needs a preposition before the location, not a direct object.
❌She lingered him to stay longer.
✅She lingered, hoping he would stay longer.
💡linger cannot take a person as its direct object.

2. To continue to be noticeable, present, or alive for a long time while slowly bec

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

To continue to be noticeable, present, or alive for a long time while slowly becoming less strong, important, or active — for example, a memory that stays with you for years, a custom that people still follow even after it has mostly died out, or an illness that does not go away quickly.

例句

The pain in Élise's knee lingered for weeks after the fall.

subject = physical sensation; linger for + duration

Doubts about the decision lingered in Bilal's mind long after the meeting ended.

subject = abstract feeling; linger in + mental space

同義詞
  • persist

    more neutral and formal; does not necessarily suggest weakening

  • endure

    emphasises surviving difficulties; suggests greater strength

  • survive

    focuses on continuing to exist despite conditions that would end most things

  • prevail

    implies dominance or wide acceptance, not gradual fading

反義詞
  • fade

    to disappear quickly rather than slowly

  • vanish

    to stop existing completely and suddenly

  • die out

    to stop existing gradually (similar but implies complete disappearance)

文法句型

linger + adverb

linger on/in + noun phrase

用法筆記

The subject is usually an abstract noun (feeling, doubt, hope, memory, tradition, habit) or a sensory phenomenon (smell, taste, sound). Rarely used in the passive. Common with the adverbs 'on' and 'still' to emphasise persistence: e.g. 'The doubts lingered on.'

常見錯誤

❌The meeting lingered for two hours.
✅The meeting dragged on for two hours.
💡for a scheduled event that takes too long, use 'drag on' or 'run over', not 'linger.'
❌She lingered the tradition in her family.
✅The tradition lingered in her family.
💡linger is intransitive; the tradition is the subject, not the object.