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 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
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Recent Examples of shirked
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
Ella Lee, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirked
Verb
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Since taking office, Kennedy has mostly avoided even rhetorically linking specific environmental exposures to health concerns.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
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In fact, Iryna’s closest Ukrainian relatives have largely avoided the media since her death, due perhaps in part to a language barrier, but mainly because this combination of fresh horror and grief is too intense.—
Theoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over the past three years, the city has begun to address long-overdue repairs, reopening pools, restoring lighting, and fixing building roofs, efforts that were largely neglected during Hernandez’s administration.—
Veronica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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Even with these measures, security duties were neglected.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In Milwaukee, Kellner said that around 33% of bus riders have evaded paying fares in 2025 but that the agency has identified a few cost-neutral strategies targeted at reducing fare evasion down to 30% by September 2026, the same rate of evasion busses saw in 2024.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The big plays evaded the Eagles both through the air and on the ground.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Four plays later, Hurts snuck in for the two-score lead that sealed the team’s second win.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Read about a man who has snuck into prestigious events for nearly a decade.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Having escaped disaster and gauged the full extent of American self-deterrence, Putin began putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors and suppliers.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
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One snake got tear-gassed by police, then shot at five times, and still escaped—only to finally meet its match with a garden hoe (obviously).—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For weeks, the New York Ripper case has lurked on the periphery of the series — a boogeyman that the show kept hinting was someone in Dexter’s life.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Parasites lurked inside the fish and turned out to be a new species.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The attempt was tipped and brought in by Locke, who slipped loose into the secondary before taking off for a 64-yard touchdown reception.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Figure Technology Solutions — The blockchain lender slipped 1%.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirked. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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