1
as in avoiding
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 neglecting
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 sneaking
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 shirking
Wife Swap explains this as Emily shirking her stay-at-home-mom responsibilities by ending up on a TV show.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Her dissent argues that the Court is shirking its duty to clarify constitutional law in capital cases, where individuals’ lives are on the line.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
All that seemed to be undone in an instant when Cristhian Mosquera’s sloppy backpass was followed by Gabriel shirking his defensive responsibilities, allowing Nick Woltemade to head home.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
By shirking the Democratic brand, Osborn has a shot at winning his race, as Cockburn points out, and may offer a model for other candidates attempting to dethrone Republicans in rural red states.
—Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Chancellor Jeremy Haefner told The Denver Post that inclusivity remains a core value at DU and vowed the federal government will not strongarm the campus into shirking from that.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
The acrimony between the two camps is seen on social media and in everyday conversations, where calls for showing compassion to the Gazans are met with accusations of naivete, hypocrisy and shirking responsibilities to fellow Jews.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Her dissent argues that the Court is shirking its duty to clarify constitutional law in capital cases, where individuals’ lives are on the line.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
All that seemed to be undone in an instant when Cristhian Mosquera’s sloppy backpass was followed by Gabriel shirking his defensive responsibilities, allowing Nick Woltemade to head home.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
By shirking the Democratic brand, Osborn has a shot at winning his race, as Cockburn points out, and may offer a model for other candidates attempting to dethrone Republicans in rural red states.
—Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Chancellor Jeremy Haefner told The Denver Post that inclusivity remains a core value at DU and vowed the federal government will not strongarm the campus into shirking from that.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
The acrimony between the two camps is seen on social media and in everyday conversations, where calls for showing compassion to the Gazans are met with accusations of naivete, hypocrisy and shirking responsibilities to fellow Jews.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirking
Verb
-
Managing heartburn is more effective by eating smaller portions and avoiding late night meals.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of avoiding interceptions throughout this season.—
Steve Megargee,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And his administration has shown derision for Congress, controlled by the president’s own party, approving historically few bills and neglecting those that have passed, such as the Epstein Files Transparency Act.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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That soft‑power approach helped humanize a government that was simultaneously centralizing authority, pressuring independent media, and neglecting long‑term investment in the oil sector that underpinned the entire economy.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That's fine by Rodgers, who knows a thing or two about sneaking in the playoffs and going on a run.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Harry proposed 10 months later in November 2017, and the couple spent their first Sandringham Christmas together the next month before sneaking away to the French Riviera for New Year’s 2018.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges, including one count of a violation of bond — protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Authorities told Fox News Digital Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges — one count of violation of bond or protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Their debut album, Forever, sounds like temporarily regressing to your childhood self while tripping—a kind of gleaming innocence desperately fending off the darkness of adulthood lurking at the periphery.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The Longhorns, Sooners, Miami and USC are among some of the higher-profile teams lurking on the fringe of the bracket, while schools such as Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Utah could still find a way to crash the party.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Jan. 2026
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Regardless of our paths — whether that meant escaping war in Ethiopia or being the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors — many of us labor under the belief that this work requires us to commit to the ideals of this nation and not the indignation and nightmare of the insurrection.—
Sarah Ghermay,
Washington Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The program’s pulse felt faint, its identity slipping further with each loss.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Buffs dropped their third game in a row at Milan Puskar Stadium, falling 29-22 against the Mountaineers and slipping to 3-7 on a lost season.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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Or are the Seminoles at risk of sliding into irrelevance if trips to the Gator Bowl become acceptable?—
Matt Baker,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shirking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirking. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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