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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And in recent years, Major League Baseball has been pushing the World Series later into the year as playoffs expand and the league avoids Sunday games so as not to overlap with the NFL.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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The agent logs only essential identifiers, avoids storing raw sensor data, caps how much and how often information is recorded, and disables third-party analytics by default.—
Keivan Navaie,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What a leader neglects in the dark will inevitably be revealed in the light, often at staggering costs.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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This narrative neglects the systemic nature of discrimination, Black lived experiences, and ongoing activism.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Behind all of the concern about the mental health of Ukrainian children lurks a bigger question regarding the generations too young to have taken part in the unifying 2014 revolt against Russia.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
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The mansion may look like a grand Victorian estate, but behind its ornate walls lurks something far darker.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Like the Chinese government and most of its people, the movie evades mentions of the mass casualties after the pandemic restrictions were removed, therefore foregoing an opportunity to reflect on whether the deaths were preventable and what lessons might be learned.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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For now, love evades understanding—which means that finding someone will remain, much of the time, a pain in the ass.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But when a famous author sneaks into town and a body is found in his penthouse apartment, cunning fox investigator Vera Vixen must piece together what happened.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
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Determined, Khaled sneaks into Israel and embarks on a journey to the sea.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If your perfect visit means patio dining, lakeside escapes, and neighborhood fairs, summer is hard to beat.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
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Using porous graphite felt and enhanced heat transfer, gas released from the resin escapes while a vacuum system removes it, allowing crowns to survive the process without cracking.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The apprentice dismantles the hilt almost by instinct and slips the crystal from within.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Just a day later, Uranus retrograde slips back into Taurus, shaking up what could’ve felt reliable and predictable.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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 25 Oct. 2025.
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