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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Rather than intervene on the distressed woman’s behalf, everyone else avoids eye contact, keeping their faces glued to their phones — including our ashamed hero, who’s about to get a call that will put him face to face with the possibility of fatherhood himself.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
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OpenAI’s paper conspicuously avoids specifying a corporate tax rate, a diplomatic omission that suggests the company knows where the political land mines are buried.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Above, Akerman neglects to mention another theft from around this time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
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But that lower average neglects the fact that fire private IIs have a higher floor salary, at $65,300, and drivers make more than the PII ceiling within the police department, at $79,000.—
Lucas Finton,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Perhaps now, the couple will question everything while also trying to protect their children from the evil that lurks.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 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
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Tereza, desperate to shirk a government order that’s all about maintaining national productivity above all else, escapes the process that would shuttle her into a retirement colony.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
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Or why not concentrate on poetry that too often escapes notice, with a Local Poetry Month, an Independent-Press Poetry Month, a Poetry in Translation Month, an Uncollected Poetry Month?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By April 19, the sun slips into Taurus, bringing your attention to themes of communication, siblings and everyday interactions.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
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In a market increasingly focused on slowing growth, softer consumer spending, and more selective valuation discipline, Marriott looks vulnerable to a meaningful re-rating lower if execution slips even modestly.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
1 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 12 Apr. 2026.
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