1
as in avoided
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 neglected
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 sneaked
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 shirked
Importers are supposed to notify Cal Fire when a shipment arrives, but a Bee investigation found that the companies linked to the Esparto property shirked that requirement for years.
—
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett forcefully pushed back against Jackson’s suggestion the court shirked on its duty to protect the people from government overreach.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 22 Jan. 2026
In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett forcefully pushed back against Jackson’s suggestion the court shirked on its duty to protect the people from government overreach.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 27 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirked
Verb
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While touring with Reba McEntire, Finney narrowly avoided a 1991 plane crash that killed eight band members of her band.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Most critics avoided taking a definitive stance on the RIFL Act itself, with some expressing neutrality in the debate.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since this area has probably been neglected during the winter months, a declutter can be helpful in the space and reset it for the upcoming spring season.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
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This indicates that this exotic type of deformation should not be neglected in regions where it is known to occur, even if its presence cannot be unambiguously inferred through laser spectroscopy, according to the study.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sneaked back to the kitchen to help clean up.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Bhansali has to scan all of his diamonds — millions per year — to make sure no lab-growns have been snuck in the mix.—
Chris Livesay,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Surprisingly, among the more than 1,000 recipes published in the past 25 years of columns and cookbooks, a true, crisp and delicious almond cookie recipe had evaded me until now.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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After the fall of Tripoli, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi evaded capture for several months before being detained in November 2011 by a militia in the western Libyan city of Zintan.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Expecting to find traces of the past in the old town of Regensburg, at first, archaeologists believed nothing that exciting lurked here.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Feb. 2026
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The Dodgers have lurked in the higher end of this free-agent market with shorter-term scenarios that carry bigger annual salaries.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That season’s squad, which had gone to the NIT three straight years, escaped the non-conference schedule with a record of 9-2.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
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The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mission slipped into 2025 because ULA needed more Vulcan rocket hardware beyond Cert-2 and the two USSF missions that took priority over the Dream Chaser flight.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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French wine and spirits exports have slipped from being traditionally France’s second-largest export sector to third, behind aerospace and cosmetics, as trade tensions intensified.—
Reuters 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
De Boo slid into the padded wall, seemingly more out of frustration than anything else.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Wright ultimately slid to the Seattle Kraken with the fourth pick.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shirked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirked. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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