# [intransitive] to continue to exist for longer than expected.

• The faint smell of her perfume lingered in the room.

• linger on: The civil war lingered on well into the 1930s.

# [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to stay somewhere for longer because you do not want to leave; to spend a long time doing something.

• She lingered for a few minutes to talk to Nick.

• We lingered over breakfast on the terrace.

# [intransitive] linger (on somebody/something) to continue to look at somebody/ something or think about something for longer than usual.

• His eyes lingered on the diamond ring on her finger.

# [intransitive] linger (on) to stay alive but become weaker.

• He lingered on for several months after the heart attack.

# slow to end or disappear.

• a painful and lingering death

• a last lingering look

• lingering doubts

• a lingering smell of machine oil

# in a way that is slow to end.

• He kissed her again, lingeringly.

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