malingers

verb

present tense third-person singular of malinger
as in lazies
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 malingers
  1. idles
  2. fools
  3. bums
  4. messes
  5. rests
  6. lingers
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles
Verb
  • Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Definition of fools
Verb
  • The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Critical thinking really bums them out.
    — Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of bums
Verb
  • Address messes immediately, use a cleaning caddy for convenience, and manage paperwork promptly.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Ships, like airplanes, are designed with fluid dynamics in mind, and biofoul seriously messes that up.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Definition of messes
Verb
  • The prime minister said the path to creating work for all the country’s school leavers rests on developing the private sector through investment.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The series, which comprises eight 45-minute episodes, is set in the near future, at a time when humanity’s survival rests on a new generation of elite pilots.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • Lingering at the ventanita the way Malik Willis lingers in the pocket before taking a sack?
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Corduroy’s dusty reputation still lingers, but the material itself has become more supple, richer, and far more sophisticated in recent years.
    — John Vorwald, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingers
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.

Browse Nearby Words

malingering
malingers
malison
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Cite this Entry

“Malingers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingers. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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