Synonyms of shirks

shirks

verb

present tense third-person singular of shirk

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

• avoids
• evades
• escapes
• shuns
• eschews
• eludes
• dodges
• deflects
• prevents
• shakes
• eliminates
• shuffles (out of)
• finesses
• circumvents
• fights shy of
• steers clear of
• averts
• precludes
• gets around
• obviates
• weasels (out of)
• ducks
• excludes
• scapes
• misses
• stays clear of
• thwarts
• keeps clear of
• diverts
• parries
• debars
• rules out
• wards (off)
• excepts
• bans
• outwits
• bypasses
• overreaches
• frustrates
• outsmarts
• foils
• outfoxes
• bars
• skirts
• foxes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• seeks
• accepts
• embraces
• pursues
• welcomes
• incurs
• catches
• courts
• contracts

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

• neglects
• forgets
• slacks (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• remembers
• performs
• does
• attends (to)
• executes
• carries out
• achieves
• accomplishes
• maintains
• keeps up

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

• lurks
• sneaks
• slips
• slinks
• steals
• crawls
• slides
• skulks
• tiptoes
• snakes
• mooches
• creeps
• pussyfoots
• edges
• inches
• mouses
• worms
• ghosts
• pads

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shirks

The Buñuelian skeptic in me also shirks at Fried’s approving references to Diderot’s petite église invisible, the small hidden church whose members—painters, critics, curators, patrons—are the vision-gifted serious pursuers of art history. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Nick, desperate to return to the present, shirks the doting parents and brother who long to comfort him. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026