1
as in to avoid
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
you always try to shirk paying your fair share of the bill by claiming you "forgot" your wallet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to neglect
to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness
a deadbeat who has been shirking his duty to his family for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to lurk
to move about in a sly or secret manner
given the multitude of auditoriums at the multiplex, it's not too difficult for underaged kids to shirk into R-rated movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shirk
Mitsuye, working full-time as a professor of English and creative writing at Cypress College, didn’t shirk her duties as much as delegate them, taking something of a chief executive’s approach to parenting.
—
Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
Hong Kong — China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development.
—Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
There is no question about his attitude or application; this is not a case of a player who has shirked responsibility or failed to work hard enough in training or in matches.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Tereza, desperate to shirk a government order that’s all about maintaining national productivity above all else, escapes the process that would shuttle her into a retirement colony.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shirk
Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
Hong Kong — China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development.
—Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
There is no question about his attitude or application; this is not a case of a player who has shirked responsibility or failed to work hard enough in training or in matches.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Tereza, desperate to shirk a government order that’s all about maintaining national productivity above all else, escapes the process that would shuttle her into a retirement colony.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shirk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirk
Verb
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This victory was as undeniable as the bond between the seniors on this team who did everything but draw up a pact to avoid a third-straight disappointment on the season’s final day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Safe food handling, good hygiene and avoiding contact with cat stool can significantly reduce your risk.—
Dr. Megan Yanny,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Its waters have long sustained hundreds of thousands of people in one of the most isolated and neglected parts of the country.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
1 June 2026
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Changing your air filter is one of those out-of-sight, out-of-mind household chores that’s often neglected.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Others argue that the maze needs a minotaur, and point to a mysterious creature that has lurked within the Backrooms since the beginning.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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But beneath the smooth surface, major engineering problems have lurked since it was constructed in the 1920s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 while maneuvering in flight, these weapons are designed to compress enemy reaction times and evade many traditional missile defense systems.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
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Aurora police said Belt-Stubblefield crashed into two vehicles while trying to evade the stop.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Don’t forget to use the code SUNSHINE at checkout to get the extra discount.—
Robin Raven,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2026
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By catering to his ego, international leaders can persuade Washington to forget—or at least to ignore—past tensions.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Autonomous task forces of drones could be assigned to defend against specific threats — Russian subs sneaking into the Atlantic Ocean, say, or a possible amphibious landing on Taiwan.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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Still, there have been occasional opportunities to sneak in some bigger names.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Mission Viejo right fielder Riley Campbell collected her third hit in the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate but Herrera escaped another jam to spark a celebratory dogpile.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
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There's no doubt that when temperatures start to rise and approach 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the only way to survive is to find places with fans or air conditioning, or, if possible, escape to the beach or pool to cool off.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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With wings, with loyal mind, Ursula slipped free.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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And after a day navigating crowds, returning to the hotel feels kind of like slipping back behind a velvet rope.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirk. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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