languish in

languish in

1. To spend time in some place weakening in spirit or in health. I've been languishing in this hospital bed for so long, I've forgotten what it feels like to be healthy. I say let the criminal languish in prison for the rest of his days.
2. To be forgotten, ignored, or neglected in some place. With the United Nations withdrawing troops from the region, thousands of refugees will be left to languish in their makeshift communities of tents. It is yet another piece of legislation destined to languish in parliament, thanks to this government's stubborn refusal to work together toward any productive actions.
3. To be overcome by some debilitating emotional, physical, or psychological state. I spent about two years languishing in sorrow after my wife passed away. Without proper medical treatment, the poor man was left to languish in psychosis. I can't understand why they want to spend so much money building a new sport arena, when so many important landmarks around the city are languishing in disrepair.
See also: languish
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

languish in

 some place
1. to become dispirited in some place; to weaken and fade away in some place. Claire languished in prison for her crime. I spent over three days languishing in a stuffy hotel room. We languished in the airport waiting room while they refueled the plane.
2. to suffer neglect in a place. The bill languished in the Senate for months on end. The children languished in the squalid conditions until the court intervened.
See also: languish
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • languish
  • is it
  • have got a leg up on (someone)
  • many a time
  • think on
  • think on (someone or something)
  • carry a torch for
  • carry a torch for (one)
  • carry a torch for somebody
  • carry a torch for someone
References in periodicals archive
ISTG spokeswoman Claudia Saba said: "While 14 Irish citizens were languishing in prison in Israel for the crime of coming to their aid, the population of Gaza continues to languish in what is, in effect, the world's largest open air prison."
Gaza ship activists on way home; PALESTINE
sentence, they continue to languish in jails without being released or
India''s apex court orders release of 61 Pak prisoners
But fears were growing for the men's mental state as they languish in a cave no bigger than a one-bedroom flat in 34C temperatures.
2 SPOONS OF TUNA, BISCUIT & SOME MILK; What trapped miners get to eat every 2 days
"It ruptured their lives and on a human scale, it is a tragedy." Pointing out that the Pakistani government had no option but to get involved, he defended his government's decision as having been confronted with a Hobson's choice: either agree to return the Pakistani citizens to their homeland, or let them languish in a US jail for an undetermined amount of time.
The quality of justice: in post-11 September America President Bush cites secrecy as a necessary evil in his war against terrorism. But is the US overstepping the mark? (USA)
They've overwhelmed INS detention facilities, and now thousands of them languish in jails across the country where they've evolved into a lucrative cottage industry for county officials eager to fill empty jail cells.
Let my people stay