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
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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
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The route map, for instance, avoids the shuttered Alliance Bank Center.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
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That avoids lease financing costs while still taking advantage of the remaining federal tax credit, assuming companies pass the savings onto the customer.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like many others in his community, Awad believes the Israeli government intentionally neglects crime perpetrated against Palestinian citizens.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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That’s one of the many, many salient details this 84-minute film neglects to share with us.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pollan is understandably chary about the potential romanticism that lurks behind his conclusions.—
Charles Finch,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
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In the American pop-culture feedback loop, at the football-movie intersection between sports and cinema and how the two inform and reflect each other, lurks a line delivery that lasts only a couple of seconds.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An all-cash purchase avoids scrutiny from financial institutions and evades mandatory reporting.—
Virginia Hammerle,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Experts who spoke to Flow Space are hopeful that these new approvals will provide the necessary tools to treat a disease that evades treatment by constantly mutating.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Carolyn sneaks into a gala; Klein, the fairy godmother, introduces her to the instantly besotted prince, John.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
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Nasir Khan, a scrawny Pakistani American college student living with his parents in Queens, sneaks out and drives his dad’s taxi to a party in Manhattan.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But, when a zombie escapes a nearby military base, Dave, Miss Caroline, and a popular children's television host (Josh Gad) must band together to protect the young and fight off the walking dead.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
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Come prepared for the weather, plan your indoor escapes and get ready for an unforgettable World Cup experience!—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Skywatchers in New York will witness the very beginning of the blood moon phase in the half hour before the lunar disk slips below the horizon opposite the glow of the rising sun on March.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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His score slips back and forth between hymnlike simplicity and operatic virtuosity.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anne slinks off with her husband.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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Route 128 slinks through the folds of Anderson Valley like a slow river, past vineyards clinging to hillsides and orchards heavy with apple blossoms come spring.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shirks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirks. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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