malinger

verb

Definition of malingernext
as in to lazy
to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work Because of his frequent absences, his boss suspected he was malingering.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of malinger The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness. — Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023 Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online. — Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023 But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened. — Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022 The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson. — Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019 The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death. — James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malinger
  1. idle
  2. bum
  3. mess
  4. fool
Verb
  • Video of the confrontation appears to show Nelson idling in a snowy strip mall parking lot in his gray Dodge Ram when another driver in an even larger pickup pulls in beside him.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • One aspect that contributed to the gridlock was a number of Waymo's self-driving robotaxis idling on the road as traffic officials tried to remedy the halt in traffic.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of idle
Verb
  • Great, for once the Leafs won’t bum me out!
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Yet with these new songs out in the world, the three musicians don’t seem particularly bummed not to have their old ones in ready circulation.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of bum
Verb
  • There was something a little therapeutic about messing it up.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 June 2026
  • The sequence in which Carmy tries to talk Richie down from a panic attack feels equally dynamic and alive right to its conclusion — when Carmy pretends they’ve gotten locked in, just as Carmy once was, to mess with Richie’s head.
    — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of mess
Verb
  • You may be fooled into joining a brokerage with high fees, poor investment options or other red flags.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Jairzinho, Brazil vs Italy, 1970 Jairzinho steals in to give Brazil a two-goal lead with 20 minutes left, controlling the ball with his thigh and then failing to connect with his finish, which is enough to fool goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

maligns
malinger
malingered
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Cite this Entry

“Malinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malinger. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of malinger for Spanish Speakers

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