1
as in avoided
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 neglected
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 sneaked
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 shirked
Before the verdict arrived, Musk’s lawyer apologized after Musk shirked a court order requiring him to be available in case any further testimony was needed in the case.
—
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 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
Rudnev shirked money, power, and influence, of any kind.
—William Jones, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Importers are supposed to notify Cal Fire when a shipment arrives, but a Bee investigation found that the companies linked to the Esparto property shirked that requirement for years.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett forcefully pushed back against Jackson’s suggestion the court shirked on its duty to protect the people from government overreach.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 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
Rudnev shirked money, power, and influence, of any kind.
—William Jones, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Importers are supposed to notify Cal Fire when a shipment arrives, but a Bee investigation found that the companies linked to the Esparto property shirked that requirement for years.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett forcefully pushed back against Jackson’s suggestion the court shirked on its duty to protect the people from government overreach.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirked
Verb
-
Whether the Michael sequel will come to fruition and cover any of this uncharted territory—or flash back to territory that was avoided in the first film, like the entirety of The Wiz—is heretofore unknown.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Earlier in the investigation, witnesses told police that Noel was regularly neglected and abused, according to NBC Dallas Fort-Worth.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
Several go-to cleaning tools and shortcuts — steam mops on the wrong floors, pressure washers used too aggressively, magic erasers on finished surfaces, harsh deck cleaners and neglected HVAC filters — can quietly do more harm than good.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The man was not a hotel guest and allegedly sneaked around the hotel’s key card security system.—
Larry Seward,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
-
Defenseman John Carlson made a weak play off his forehand along the left-wing wall that was devoured by Ivan Barbashev, who snuck the puck past Granlund to Dorofeyev for a goal from the slot.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
My muscles on fire with tension, sleep evaded me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Aircraft purchases were among the promises that China evaded then.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
But within the house, violence lurked like flammable gas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The short answer is that a wide gulf exists between rumor and fact and Swalwell lurked in that gray space, living and thriving in the shadows between provability and denial.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stray bits of hair escaped my ponytail and stung my eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
The injured duckling was treated at a veterinary clinic while the other ducklings escaped the area with the mother duck.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The farmer then slipped into a coma and only came out of it a few weeks later, with doctors calling him a miracle, per the BBC.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
However, last season the singer quietly slipped into stadiums and attended every home game largely under the radar.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
When the referee went down, Sikoa slid a chair in and tried to goad Keys into using it.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Shares in Europe are tracking Asian markets' overnight declines after South Korea's benchmark Kospi index slid more than 6% on Friday, retreating from a fresh record high above 8,000, as broader Asia-Pacific markets fell.—
Hugh Leask,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirked. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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