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
-
As long as Lagway avoids turnovers, the Gators will have a chance in the fourth quarter to steal a big SEC win.—
Matt Hayes,
USA TODAY,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Supporting Jones with a stingy defense and a run-heavy offense that ensures balance and avoids placing too much pressure on the quarterback’s shoulders, Steichen has the Colts atop the AFC South standings with a 3-1 record.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
2 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
-
This narrative neglects the systemic nature of discrimination, Black lived experiences, and ongoing activism.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Behind a black iron gate, the door is marked with a wreath, and a cat sometimes lurks in the window.—
Lizzie Kane,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The Triangle, one of many signature quirks of Fenway Park, lurks 420 feet from home plate.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Oh plays Eve, a deskbound MI-5 agent who longs to be a spy in the field, a dream that is soon realized when a mutual obsession develops between her and a sadistic, sociopathic assassin (Jodie Comer) who always evades capture.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On the negative side, there’s Judomaster, who sneaks into the portal behind Chris (and leaves a trail of Cheeto dust in his wake).—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
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The 12-day calendar sneaks in $138 worth of beauty gems from cult-favorite brands like Youth To The People, Caudalie, Stila, RMS, and L’Occitane.—
Katie Ann Lehman,
StyleCaster,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jones escapes Fernandez to receive a pass from Gravenberch, while the positioning of Wirtz and Szoboszlai keeps Cucurella and Caicedo from coming forward.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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When virtual particle pairs pop into existence at the edge of black holes, sometimes the black hole’s gravity grabs one partner while the other escapes.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That Jiryis’s wife was killed by Israel slips through as a single sentence.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Norris keeps banking points as Piastri slips.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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 8 Oct. 2025.
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