malingering

verb

present participle of malinger
as in idling
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malingering
  1. idling
  2. messing
  3. fooling
  4. bumming
  5. playing
  6. lingering
  7. resting
  8. loafing
Verb
  • A couple blocks away there are at least nine police cars, parked, idling.
    — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Effects of laws against idling In short, anti-idling laws target potentially severe pollution health risks from what is generally a wasteful practice of convenience.
    — Richard Marcantonio, The Conversation, 31 July 2026
Definition of idling
Verb
  • There was something a little therapeutic about messing it up.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 June 2026
  • No one can match her depth and passion to get vengeance on Krem of the Yellow Hills for messing with her family — a sentiment Cancers understand.
    — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of messing
Verb
  • Throughout all the commotion, Romelu Lukaku acted as decoy, holding on to the ball, fooling everyone, including the TV producer, who pulled up a graphic showing his recent penalty record.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • Spring cleaning bumming you out?
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
  • That’s what was bumming him out.
    — Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of bumming
Verb
  • But camp is about more than just a wide receiver playing well.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Carys made her professional stage debut in June, playing Nina in Anton Chekhov’s tragicomedy The Seagull in Brooklyn.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • Starting in Arraez’s place was Basabe, who has spent more time with the club than originally anticipated due to Matt Chapman’s lingering abdominal strain.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Skubal’s arrival answers whatever lingering questions there were about the Dodgers’ quest for a third straight title, as well as ones yet to pop up.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Slide open and step outside to sit at the deck’s fire table immersed in towering evergreen trees while resting your eyes beyond to the Sierra Nevada.
    — Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Matthew Stafford was resting as part of his maintenance plan, and Simpson split reps evenly with Stetson Bennett, with Bennett taking the first crack.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of resting
Verb
  • Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
  • The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Definition of loafing
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.

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malingerers
malingering
malingers
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Cite this Entry

“Malingering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingering. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on malingering

Nglish: Translation of malingering for Spanish Speakers

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