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
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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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Rideshare and taxis are widely available too, but light rail avoids the post-match traffic gridlock.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
Charles, who is the British head of state but not the head of government, typically avoids politics in public.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a review that gave the movie three stars out of four, USA Today's Melissa Ruggieri praised Jaafar's performance while noting that the movie neglects to explore the more controversial aspects of the singer's life.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The court’s framing of free speech also neglects the real-world evidence.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Las Vegas is the favorite, but in our view, Kansas City lurks as a dark horse.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Boston lurks close behind at +550.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mr Cobra evades most classification from there, blending free jazz, musique concrète, ’00s pop, house, industrial techno, and air horns, interlaced with dialogue snipped from Korean folk operas and experimental films.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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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
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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Farm stays are far from new, but travelers are showing a resounding new interest in rural, back-to-the-land escapes.—
Jen Murphy,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
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Austin escapes the clinic through the ceiling and calls Eunice from a cab to the police station.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Because every child who slips through the cracks does so not from a lack of potential, but from a lack of people willing to act.—
Ann Bullock,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
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This grade slips to a C+ if Arizona eventually relents and grants Pro-Bowl pass rusher Josh Sweat’s trade request.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 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 3 May. 2026.
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