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
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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
-
The city has spent beyond sustainable levels, and pausing reserves avoids the structural fixes needed.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But the better course might be to allow the state to go back to a single, simple plate design — one that avoids the fiscal entanglements and ideological biases of the current program.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The court’s framing of free speech also neglects the real-world evidence.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Above, Akerman neglects to mention another theft from around this time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Boston lurks close behind at +550.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The Churchill Suite peers over the Ministry of Defence (where Henry VIII’s wine cellar still lurks) and was the locus of military strategising.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even if Booker’s appearance evades the FCC’s scrutiny, the commission is closely watching TV talk programs, with The View in particular a subject of interest.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
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But how does one set out to write a biography about the creation of an author who not only can’t be reached, but actively evades the spotlight?—
Costa Beavin Pappas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ortiz sneaks field recordings and samples into these songs, too—each adding texture to the universe of her songs and evoking the wider world that exists just outside the frame of her narration.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
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But some sunlight still sneaks through Earth’s atmosphere, bends around the planet and lands on the moon.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Austin escapes the clinic through the ceiling and calls Eunice from a cab to the police station.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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The moving drama revolves on a young boy, the film’s titular character, who escapes the bombing of his southern Iranian village in which his family is killed.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fergus sends his sons first, but Henry-Christian slips off his brother’s back and falls.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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There’s also a compact coffee table that slips under the seat and turns into a makeshift tray.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 21 Apr. 2026.
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