malinger

verb

Definition of malingernext
as in to lazy
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

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.
Recent Examples of malinger The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness. — Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023 Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online. — Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023 But when workers take advantage of the manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened. — Bill Conerly, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2022 The decision against Robert Krebs came after a psychologist determined Krebs didn’t have a mental illness or cognitive impairment and was instead malingering to avoid prosecution for the robbery last year in Tucson. — Jacques Billeaud, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2019 The question is obviously especially consequential when deeming a person malingering means they could be put to death. — James Hamblin, The Atlantic, 5 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malinger
  1. idle
  2. bum
  3. mess
  4. fool
Verb
  • The price of computers and smartphones would skyrocket as electronic manufacturers idled their factories.
    — Dan Blumenthal, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In August, Silfab briefly idled production and later furloughed some workers because of production material shortages the company said would last three to four weeks.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of idle
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
  • My conversation partner returned, somehow unable to bum even a single cigarette from anyone at this party.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026
Definition of bum
Verb
  • That book really messed me up in the sense of nothing is promised.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Had a couple calls in here that messed it up a little bit, but that’s the game.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of mess
Verb
  • The Pleiades open star cluster Don't be fooled by their beauty; the blue-white stars of the Pleiades are dripping in spooky lore.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Chiefs-Seahawks game prediction Don’t be fooled be the records.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

maligns
malinger
malingered
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Malinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malinger. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All