linger

2 definitions • 5 examples

to take a long time to leave or disappear:

After the play had finished, we lingered for a while in the bar hoping to catch sight of the actors.

The smell from the fire still lingered days later.

It's impossible to forget such horrific events - they linger (on) in the memory forever.

to take longer than usual to leave or disappear:

We went to small cafes where we could linger over cappuccino.

The smell lingered in the kitchen for days.