1
as in avoids
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 neglects
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 lurks
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
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.
Recent Examples of shirks
Nick, desperate to return to the present, shirks the doting parents and brother who long to comfort him.
—
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirks
Verb
-
Too often, political coverage avoids difficult questions entirely or allows politicians to speak in vague generalities without scrutiny.—
Letters to the Editor,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
-
This is fast to build, easy to demo and avoids the genuinely hard work of designing the conversation.—
Pete Hanlon,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But experts said this categorization neglects key hormonal and metabolic components of the condition.—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
13 May 2026
-
And a state that neglects a part of its own body cannot prosper.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Look to the eastern sky in the hour preceding dawn on May 14 to catch a rare sight, as the moon, Saturn and Mars form a cosmic triangle in the glow of the rising sun, while the ice giant Neptune lurks unseen nearby.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
-
Magnetic and funny, Maris easily draws people into her orbit, but her nocturnal habits hint at a dangerous violence that lurks beneath the surface.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
At one point, Griffin appears to lunge at Manetta, who evades him by ducking behind a column on the platform.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
Mr Cobra evades most classification from there, blending free jazz, musique concrète, ’00s pop, house, industrial techno, and air horns, interlaced with dialogue snipped from Korean folk operas and experimental films.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That day, Riley had been editing a sequence in which Corvette sneaks into a San Francisco condo owned by Christie, her fashion idol, by hiding inside a coffee delivery cart.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
While the males are fighting, the female sneaks off to get some quick action behind enemy lines.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The house is basically painted all white everywhere but somehow escapes being bland.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
17 May 2026
-
Coltrane escapes trouble at every turn in the finale episode.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Many tools now include real-time protection against phishing links, which adds a layer of defense when a scam slips through.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
In some ways, Monroe was the ultimate challenge to Avedon’s methodology of capturing the inner life of his subjects, the moment the mask slips.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Hurts Like Hell is Cornfield’s twangiest album yet, thanks in large part to the pedal steel that slinks through its songs, handled like quicksilver by Adam Brisbin.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Anne slinks off with her husband.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shirks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirks. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
