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
Verb
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Swarms of cars and vans come and go from both sides; idling buses advertise destinations as far-flung as Lima or Santiago or Mendoza.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026 -
Yesterday, [an] ICE agent [was] sitting in a white car idling there on my block, four houses down.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Now Rob is messing with another one of Candiace’s friends, and Candiace is ready to blow up the whole turret over it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
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Genetic engineering took his fancy, but Hassan’s father didn’t like the idea of messing with God’s creation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s what was bumming him out.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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To be this close over and over is really bumming me out.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Baseball owners, with Dick Monfort playing a prominent role as a hawk in labor negotiations, are expected to lock out the players after this season, seeking a salary cap, believing that is the only reason the Dodgers win.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
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Back in 2013, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez tore a ligament in his thumb while playing for the Dominican Republic.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Experts point to restricted access to advanced chips and limited capital as lingering constraints.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Women generally receive fewer advanced therapies for PE, like thrombectomy (a procedure to pluck out a clot), and end up with more bleeding complications and a higher rate of lingering issues, like clumps of scar tissue in arteries that can increase blood pressure.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This can raise resting heart rate, increase weakness and fatigue, and reduce endurance—even during everyday activities, not just exercise.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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Dormant plants are alive but resting, while dead plants won’t recover and should be removed.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Within a few moments, an antlerless deer emerged, loafing along toward Ronnie, completely unalarmed.—
Jim Moore,
Outdoor Life,
8 Oct. 2025
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She is seen going over the shots planned for the next day and remembering that some loafing around is planned.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
5 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Malingering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingering. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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