hesitate vs linger

hesitate and linger both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hesitate	No	No	Yes	No
linger	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, linger is a hyponym of hesitate; that is, linger is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than hesitate:

Other hyponyms of hesitate include dwell on, linger over, boggle, hover, hover, oscillate, vacillate, vibrate, falter, waver.

hesitate (verb)	linger (verb)
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness	take one's time; proceed slowly
interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing	leave slowly and hesitantly
	be about a place without any apparent purpose
	to hang about in a place beyond the proper or usual time
	remain present although waning or gradually dying