SHIRK Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

shirk

verb

ˈshərk

Definition of shirk

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

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shirk During a livestream of a pre-pageant event, Itsaragrisil berated Miss Mexico’s Fátima Bosch, accusing her of shirking mandatory promotional responsibilities for the host country. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026 The Buñuelian skeptic in me also shirks at Fried’s approving references to Diderot’s petite église invisible, the small hidden church whose members—painters, critics, curators, patrons—are the vision-gifted serious pursuers of art history. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Legal Aid argued that the state was shirking its obligation to keep her and her children safely housed. — Spencer Norris, ProPublica, 9 July 2026 But more than ever before, Nouel said, women are shirking the expectations of previous generations and considering all of their options to happiness, instead of staying in relationships that don't serve them. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shirk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shirk

Verb

Following her death, Trail dismembered Loofe’s body to avoid getting caught.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Better monitoring tools can help farmers identify disease threats earlier and avoid expensive eradication campaigns.

— Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of avoid

Verb

City officials compiled the information after Nelson raised concerns that older neighborhoods had been neglected in favor of newer parts of Roseville.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
An Overland Park mother who authorities charged with murder in the 2023 death of her 1-year-old child, alleging the toddler was malnourished and neglected, has pleaded no contest to a group of charges.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of neglect

Verb

But DeFalco is drawn to the sidewalk dwellers, street preachers and parking-lot boozers who also lurk down there and help (or hinder) Ten, usually at a loud volume.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lurk

Verb

Europe hopes to build the euro into an alternative global currency to evade the dollar’s iron grip.

— Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Tel Aviv — At least 40 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men were arrested upon arriving Tuesday morning at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of attempting to evade the country's military draft, the Israel Defense Forces said.

— Dov Lieber, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of evade

Verb

Never forget that Harkness was once a CIA operative and perhaps served a higher calling before creating his own mercenary network and taking jobs for monied sleazebags like Cantor.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Fire comes where there’s no water, but everyone forgets that.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of forget

Verb

However, even in situations where YCSE might appear ineligible, there is wiggle room that could allow Seyfried to sneak in.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneak

Verb

For all its tests, the company builds realistic simulated environments, red teams these environments itself and with third parties to see whether they can be escaped, and monitors what agents do.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Most of the work of recovery is about treating whatever is causing people to escape their lives into endless scrolling and stimulation, Kardaras says.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of escape

Browse Nearby Words

shipyards

shirk

shirked

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“Shirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shirk. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shirk

verb

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