malingered

verb

past tense of malinger
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
  1. idled
  2. messed
  3. fooled
  4. played
  5. lingered
  6. rested
  7. bummed
Verb
  • Others idled at the edge of the firelight while the red lights of a surveillance blimp blinked over the mountains to the east.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Brampton Assembly Plant, which was previously slated to build the Jeep Compass before Stellantis moved the product out of Canada in 2025 to avoid tariffs, has been idled since 2023.
    — Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of idled
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 messed
Verb
  • Don’t be fooled by the big numbers that these guys throw around in their ballots.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Despite all the criticism that has pummeled the club since it was found guilty of over 100 charges relating to financial breaches, you could be fooled into thinking nothing was wrong.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fooled
Verb
  • With Rose unavailable, sophomore quarterback Gabriel Webster played in district games against Azle, Denton and Sherman.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Armstrong led the Chiefs in receiving yards in the preseason, so he’s played against NFL competition.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of played
Verb
  • At a college fair featuring hundreds of schools, Roland, who lingered for about three hours, didn’t see anyone approach the Cornell booth.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While the cold symptoms went away, the cough lingered for months.
    — Joe Van Ryn, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • The defense rested its case on Thursday in the death penalty case of Alberto Sierra, who admitted to snuffing the lives of his estranged wife and her two young daughters with a plastic bag.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Kansas City Chiefs return from their bye week well-rested and sitting at 4-0.
    — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rested
Verb
  • I'mPhaedra Trethan, bummed out to hear one of my favorite baseball announcers has been let go in a round of ESPN layoffs.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 21 July 2026
  • Officer Rory lets Greg go, but the combination of the walk and thinking about his daughter’s predicament has bummed him out.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of bummed
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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malinger
malingered
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Cite this Entry

“Malingered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malingered. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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