MEANING
To pretend to be ill or impaired in order to avoid work or duty.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- malinger to avoid work
- suspected malingering
On the page
The commander accused the recruit of malingering.
Word forms
- Base
- malinger
- Past tense
- malingered
- Past participle
- malingered
- Present participle
- malingering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- malinger
- Present continuous
- am/is/are malingering
- Present perfect
- have/has malingered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been malingering
- Past
- malingered
- Past continuous
- was/were malingering
- Past perfect
- had malingered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been malingering
- Future
- will malinger
- Future continuous
- will be malingering
- Future perfect
- will have malingered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been malingering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: malinger; malingers; malingered; malingered; malingering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: malingers.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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