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
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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
-
Early prototypes shown at CES were assembled rapidly for demonstration, but Lumus says the underlying architecture avoids exotic materials.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Jérôme Sans, the exhibition’s curator, positioned the Cookie Factory as a site that deliberately avoids cultural isolation.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Maintaining the 'European path to peace/victory' only enriches war profiteers and neglects both sides' requests for security.—
Joshua Sammons,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Nov. 2025
-
Abdi, lost in faith, neglects his work.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Their latest album, The Sludge of the Land, promises to unsettle your sensibilities by exploring the churning zone of kitsch that lurks behind more respectable musical forms.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
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Below-average play is often staring you right in the face while catastrophe lurks around the corner.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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In the film, Sea-Based X-Band Radar detects a missile flying across the Pacific Ocean toward Chicago that later evades interception.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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With a new alias, Andrew Birch, Pine sneaks around Roper’s Majorca compound and relays key documents to Burr, all while keeping an indiscriminate profile.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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Now, with nowhere else to turn, Mauser sneaks in uninvited to a swanky party in Rockwell's home and begs for his support in front of his wealthy friends.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
These interactions influence how Earth’s atmosphere slowly escapes into space.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
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From classic domestic getaways to sunny Caribbean escapes—and even a European city—the list challenges the assumption that travel costs are destined to rise.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet real sovereignty slips further away.—
Rick Singh,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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Gwath slips the screen and positions himself for a lob from Byrd.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 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 20 Jan. 2026.
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