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
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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
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
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
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The deficit Gloria had to close increased from $118 million to $146 million this spring because of some new spending that couldn’t be avoided, aides to the mayor said.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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While the broad outlines are fairly clear, dogma should be avoided when dealing with the various types of gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kanaiyah Ward was neglected A report by the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) revealed that Ward was neglected by the caretaker who was supposed to supervise her with hourly checks.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Some presidential materials were neglected and vanished.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Boston successfully killed a Frost power play shortly thereafter — Aerin Frankel made a timely kick save on a cross-crease feed to Lee Stecklein — but Minnesota cashed in even strength to cut Boston’s lead to 2-1 when Kendall Cooper’s shot from the blue line snuck past Frankel.—
Jason Cooke,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors said Serafini had snuck into the Lake Tahoe home while the married couple was out on the lake.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The helicopters successfully evaded Pakistan's layered air defenses, there was a crash immediately at UBL's compound, guys were scrambling to get inside, Khalid bin Laden got melted in the stairwell and then the SEALs got bin Laden on the third deck.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Redick said watching McIlroy this time around, compared to his first Masters victory last year after the championship had evaded him time and again, was a different experience.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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The walls disappeared into a forest of trees, where live monkeys and at least one bear lurked behind the trunks.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried it might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Another novel aspect is that Yarris escaped from custody in 1985, only to be quickly recaptured in Florida and sent back to death row in Pennsylvania.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, the professional dancer slipped from Efron's grasp, landing face-first on the floor.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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Green’s game has, in fact, slipped significantly since the Warriors’ heyday.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Holloway pulled the puck back to his forehand to finish into the empty net, he was robbed by Morrissey, who had slid desperately to his left like a street hockey goalie to make a shocking stick save.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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In just seconds, those pesky signs of aging were nearly invisible, and my makeup slid over them instead of sinking in.—
Cathy Nelson,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirked. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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