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 snuck
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirked
Verb
-
Rays ace Shane McClanahan will miss time with a nerve issue but avoided serious injury in his arm.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025 -
At best, this results in superficial engagement—teams may appear aligned on the surface but lack genuine buy-in as difficult conversations are avoided.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The business has been neglected for too long.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Government records remained scattered, vulnerable and neglected.—
Elizabeth Call,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But in life James resisted metaphor and evaded attention.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
-
DeAngelo evaded prosecution for years while committing a string of murders and rapes across the Golden State between 1974 and 1986, including two murders and nine kidnappings in Sacramento County alone.—
Lia Russell,
Sacramento Bee,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Sevilla snuck in between Tchouameni and Asencio, with eventual scorer Dodi Lukebakio taking advantage of a mistake from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who doesn’t usually make them.—
Mario Cortegana,
The Athletic,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Tears of joy flowed when a daughter snuck home early for Christmas to surprise her mom after two years of traveling.—
Terry Baddoo,
USA TODAY,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
India escaped the scary moment unscathed.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Anderson, who retired his first 10 batters, walked the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, but escaped the jam by striking out Jeremy Peña and getting Diaz to line out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The city slipped into a recession, and things got harder.—
Dodai Stewart,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The movie slipped to fifth, third, and sixth ranks in the following weeks.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Shirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirked. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share