ling
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈliŋ 
1
: any of various fishes (such as a hake or burbot) of the cod family
2
: lingcod
ling
2 of 4noun (2)
: a heath plant
especially : a common Old World heather (Calluna vulgaris)
-ling
3 of 4noun suffix
1
: one connected with or having the quality of
hireling
2
: young, small, or inferior one
duckling
-ling
4 of 4adverb suffix
variants or -lings
: in (such) a direction or manner
sideling
flatling
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English; akin to Dutch leng ling, Old English lang long
Noun (2)
Middle English, from Old Norse lyng
Noun suffix
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old English -ing
Adverb suffix
Middle English -ling (from Old English), -linges (from -ling + -es -s); akin to Old High German -lingūn -ling, Old English lang long
First Known Use
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing ling
Kids Definition
-ling
noun suffix
ling
1
: one associated with
nestling
2
: young, small, or minor one
duckling
lingers
verb
as in drags
to move or act slowly since they were charging by the hour, the house painters lingered in finishing up their work Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- drags
- delays
- crawls
- pokes
- loiters
- strolls
- lags
- dawdles
- creeps
- tarries
- shuffles
- staggers
- plays
- marks time
- mopes
- drops behind
- dallies
- falls behind
- diddles
- stalls
- hangs fire
- drags one's heels
- lallygags
- idles
- lollygags
- saunters
- ambles
- lounges
- dillydallies
- eases
- drags one's feet
- takes one's time
- lolls
- inches
- lumbers
- decelerates
- shilly-shallies
- trifles
- fools around
- plods
- loafs
- messes around
- procrastinates
- putters (around)
- potters (around)
- temporizes
- monkeys (around)
- fiddles (around)
- slows (down or up)
- hangs (around or out)
- filibusters
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hastens
- runs
- flies
- scurries
- hurries
- tears
- rushes
- whirls
- rips
- whisks
- races
- barrels
- courses
- scoots
- speeds
- careers
- whizzes
- dashes
- zips
- scuds
- hurtles
- runs
- hustles
- hotfoots (it)
- breezes
- bolts
- scrambles
- trots
- accelerates
- gallops
- rockets
- jogs
- quickens
- stampedes
- bowls
- darts
- overtakes
- speeds (up)
- humps
- sprints
- outstrips
- outpaces
- outruns
- catches up
- fast-forwards