as in idled
to pretend to be sick or injured in order to avoid doing work
Because of his frequent absences, his boss suspected he was malingering.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malingered
Verb
-
Ulises Menchaca idled in his pickup truck on a steep street in Silver Lake, late for work.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026 -
Worries that prices at the pump could soar past $5 emerge as tankers remain idled and the outlook for a quick resolution dims.—
Evan Halper,
Washington Post,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The models who went all the way were the ones who ceded to Banks’s worldview, who agreed to have their hair dyed and their teeth messed with and their bodies altered.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
-
As Nikki, a veteran killing machine, Jovovich is one mother not to be messed with.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
This time, most Americans haven’t been fooled, and that gives me hope.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Following in the footsteps of social-media-savvy churches such as Hillsong, in Los Angeles, Mercy Culture had a worship band that played earnest, anthemic rock, and its pastors wore skinny jeans.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Wild played a second consecutive game without forward Bobby Brink, who was injured and scored a goal in his home debut with the Wild last Tuesday versus Utah.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bouncy seventh-year center suffered a severe right ankle sprain on the first day of training camp and the pain has lingered for five months, limiting his mobility and effectiveness on both ends of the floor.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Simons fractured his wrist in training camp with the Boston Celtics, an injury that lingered after briefly sidelining him at the start of the season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The jury will hear closing arguments on Wednesday afternoon after the government and defense rested and closed on Tuesday, the eleventh day of the trial The defense called no witnesses.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 11,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Porzingis had scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists Saturday in Oklahoma City, and then rested against Utah.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rittenhouse admits to initially being bummed out to not be the murderer, only to quickly come around to preferring this outcome.—
Derek Lawrence,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Jan. 2026
-
I'mPhaedra Trethan, bummed out about the passing of Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Malingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingered. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
