linger
To stay somewhere longer than needed.
linger in a sentence
- The smell of baking lingered in the kitchen long after the biscuits were gone.
- Pupils always linger by the school gate, chatting long after the home-time bell.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to linger?
- Avanish
- Brush
- Cloiter
- Dleave
Show the answer
C: loiter. The other three mean the opposite of linger.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to linger?
- Adawdle
- Bleave
- Cloiter
- Dremain
Show the answer
B: leave. The other three mean nearly the same as linger.
Words that mean something similar
loiter, dawdle, remain
Words that mean the opposite
leave, rush, vanish
More words about time & change
- lull: A quiet, calm break in noise or activity.
- makeshift: Made quickly from whatever is available, to use for a short time.
- mishap: A small accident or piece of bad luck.
- momentous: Very important because of its lasting effects.
- monotonous: Boring because it never changes.
- mundane: Ordinary, dull and nothing special.
- obsolete: No longer used because something newer has replaced it.
- ordeal: A very difficult or unpleasant experience that goes on for some time.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test