shirk

verb

ˈshərk 

shirked; shirking; shirks

intransitive verb

1

: to go stealthily : sneak

2

: to evade the performance of an obligation

transitive verb

: avoid, evade

shirk one's duty

shirker noun

Synonyms

• avoid
• dodge
• duck
• elude
• escape
• eschew
• evade
• finesse
• get around
• scape
• shake
• shuffle (out of)
• shun
• weasel (out of)

Examples of shirk in a Sentence

He's too conscientious to shirk his duty.

He never shirked from doing his duty.

They did their duty without shirking or complaining.

Recent Examples on the Web

So, of course, Homer creates multiple copies of himself to shirk his responsibilities. —Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024

But the race is still in play, sources suggested, and the full Democratic caucus can theoretically shirk off steering's recommendations – though that rarely happens. —Andrew Solender, Axios, 13 Dec. 2024

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, 4 Dec. 2024

The move could create an opening to shirk support from the mayor's plan. —Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

shirk

verb

ˈshərk 

: to get out of doing especially what one ought to do

: avoid sense 3, evade

shirked their duty

shirker noun