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.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malingered
Verb
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Adding to the complexity of the situation, a new California law, SB 237, now requires oil facilities idled for five years or more on January 1 to obtain a permit from the California Coastal Commission before restarting operations.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026 -
Some unmarked government vehicles idled; others drove around.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The internet already messed her up pretty good.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
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The internet already messed her up pretty good.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first generation of Iranian revolutionaries—including octogenarians like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—have long fooled themselves about their future.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
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Don’t be fooled by their jaw-dropping price, the bottoms deliver an expensive look thanks to their dark wash and classic cut.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Curry, the acclaimed actor known for his roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and It, played serial killer and rapist Billy Flynn in the fifth and sixth seasons of the show.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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Crowder, a key component to the Heat’s run to the 2020 NBA Finals, last played in the league last season with the Sacramento Kings.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Around her, dozens of community members lingered along the street with coffee handed out by volunteers, hugging old friends, calling out familiar names and answering a steady chorus of car horns with cheers and applause as students made their way toward campus, backpacks slung over their shoulders.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Nashville, Tennessee, where nearly 100,000 power outages lingered early Wednesday, high temperatures were to rise just above freezing before plunging to 13 Fahrenheit overnight.—
Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Glenn coach Katina Flournoy-Walker rested the Lee sisters — Libby and Jennah — in the win over Lockhart.—
Butch Hart,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
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Given how easily Liverpool wins in France, perhaps Hugo Ekitike could have been rested there instead of at Bournemouth, for example.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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I'mPhaedra Trethan, bummed out about the passing of Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Malingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingered. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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