1
as in to avoid
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 to neglect
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 to lurk
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 shirk
In others, municipalities shirked their legal requirement to share permit data with Kaegi’s office or shared it in a format that required time-consuming cleanup.
—
A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
Here are some of the most notable categories: Foreign policy
Trump's foreign policy approach in his early days in office centered around tariff threats, shirking international agreements and bringing much foreign aid to a halt.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, lawsuits filed by people living in Kushner buildings have exposed how the company operated, often by shirking on maintenance in order to force out tenants.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The authors are hoping to make Meta pay after Meta allegedly shirked offers to license their data for a fee.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shirk
A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
Here are some of the most notable categories: Foreign policy
Trump's foreign policy approach in his early days in office centered around tariff threats, shirking international agreements and bringing much foreign aid to a halt.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, lawsuits filed by people living in Kushner buildings have exposed how the company operated, often by shirking on maintenance in order to force out tenants.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
The authors are hoping to make Meta pay after Meta allegedly shirked offers to license their data for a fee.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shirk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirk
Verb
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In another legend, the monk was said to have cut off his eyelids to avoid falling asleep during his meditation, one explanation for the doll’s wide-eyed stare.—
Rebecca Cairns,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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Facing the Marlins for the second time in a week, the Mets (7-3) avoided facing ace Sandy Alcantara, with the 2022 Cy Young Award winner having been added to the paternity list earlier in the day.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, neglecting compliance can have disastrous consequences.—
Rasmus Holst,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Multi-club ownership throws up potential for conflicts of interest and the prospect of sheer neglect towards the smaller clubs in a portfolio.—
The Athletic FC Podcast,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Bex, lurking in the shadows while waiting on backup, couldn’t quite get a shot at Jenna, but someone did — Shane, who had chosen the team over learning about his mom.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
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The fear, flashbacks and PTSD are constantly lurking, ready to erupt.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Overtourism is to blame That year, a railway company also launched a probe against four popular YouTubers over their stunt to evade fares on public transport, according to local media.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
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The group has claimed dozens of strikes against Israel throughout the war in Gaza, some of which have managed to evade the country's state-of-the-art air defense systems.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And during the heart of the pandemic, who could forget her radiant presence in the 2020 Verzuz battle with Erykah Badu?—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
4 Apr. 2025
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When transferring goods into freezer-safe bags, don’t forget to date and label the bags.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But a better travel pillow does all that and sneaks an extra day’s worth of clothing onto the plane without catching a gate agent’s attention.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
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How did Passover and Easter sneak up on us so fast?—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The most prepared billionaires have multiple passports, physical gold reserves in Swiss vaults, and escape routes that don’t rely on digital transactions.—
Jim Dobson,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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In its ensuing investigation, detectives learned the five dogs were allegedly in the care of Martin Martinez, 60, and had escaped from a nearby property and attacked Renguul, the PCSD reports.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But are we really supposed to believe that wife-of-the-year Karen Wilson would let such an important date slip her mind?—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
3 Apr. 2025
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Apparently, his son Jabari fell from an A+ to an A in spelling, so Darnell is living up to his promise of beating Gregory’s ass if Jabari’s grades ever slipped.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirk. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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