shirk

American  

[shurk] / ʃɜrk /

verb (used with object)

• shirks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shirked,
  past participle,  past
• shirking
  present participle

1. to evade (work, duty, responsibility, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   dodge, avoid, shun

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verb (used without object)

• shirks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shirked,
  past participle,  past
• shirking
  present participle

1. to evade work, duty, etc.

noun

1. a shirker.

shirk ¹ British  

/ ʃɪːk /

noun

1. Islam

   1. the fundamental sin of regarding anything as equal to Allah

   2. any belief that is considered to be in opposition to Allah and Islam

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shirk ² British  

/ ʃɜːk /

verb

1. to avoid discharging (work, a duty, etc); evade

---

noun

1. a person who shirks

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unshirked
  adjective
• unshirking
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shirking
  present
• shirked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shirk
  simple
• shirks
  simple
• have shirked
  perfect
• has shirked
  perfect
• am shirking
  progressive
• are shirking
  progressive
• is shirking
  progressive
• have been shirking
  perfect progressive
• has been shirking
  perfect progressive

Past

• shirked
  simple
• had shirked
  perfect
• was shirking
  progressive
• were shirking
  progressive
• had been shirking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shirk
  simple
• will have shirked
  perfect
• will be shirking
  progressive
• will have been shirking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shirk

First recorded in 1625–35; obscurely akin to shark ²

Explanation

To shirk your responsibilities is to avoid dealing with them — like when you watch four consecutive hours of infomercials instead of facing your homework. A verb is an action word, so it's ironic that the verb shirk suggests inaction in the avoidance of work. To shirk carries with it a negative connotation of laziness. When Eleanor Roosevelt was asked how she conquered her shyness to become a powerful public figure, she responded, "I faced each problem as it came along. . . . I never tried to shirk. I tried never to evade an issue. When I found I had something to do — I just did it." Ah, Eleanor, why can't we all be a bit more like you?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shirk shirks shirked shirking

The government's counsel, Jenkin Suen, told the inquiry that authorities would not shirk responsibility and pledged "systemic reforms".

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

And yet, both Andie and Iona shirk their individuality for stability, leaving those singular, oh-so-charming elements of their characters in the dust when wealthy men come calling.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026

“Once an artificial intelligence weapon system produces safety hazards, the ‘algorithm black box’ may become a rationalized excuse for the relevant responsible parties to shirk responsibility,” he wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

Later, in remarks made to a gathering of supporters and broadcast on state television, Khamenei reiterated the message, saying Iran "will not shirk from dealing with destructive elements".

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026

Although Charles felt torn about leaving, because he was not one to shirk his duties, he just could not remain in Malvern.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

But she never shirks from the hard facts of the Du Bois history, or that of blackness in this country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

An electric runner, skilful with both her hands and boot, who never shirks the tough stuff - any side in the world would miss Ellie Kildunne.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2025

Everybody else just sort of shirks because they think they own the room.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2022

Daniel Zolghardri stars as a teenage cartoonist who shirks his posh family life in Princeton, New Jersey, to live alone in Trenton and try to make it as an R. Crumb-like artist.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2022

He is the right sort of man to go there—fears nothing, shirks nothing.

From The Old Helmet, Volume II by Susan Warner

In Mr. Scott’s telling, Truman is a scaled-down version of David McCullough’s everyman hero: a political pugilist who, despite inner doubts, never shirked the hard moral decisions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

His analysis held Hong Kong insiders accountable when they abused their power or shirked their responsibilities, whether they were corporate managers or government officials.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

But when one vice signals, the out-group’s values take center stage — in order to be shirked rather than lived up to.

From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026

None of the trio shirked their responsibility, delivering a lion-hearted effort on Saturday in particular.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025

There was no census to tell what children ought to be in school, and no place but a jail to put those in who shirked.

From A Ten Year War An Account of The Battle with The Slum in New York by Jacob A. (Jacob August) Riis

Employees monitor social-media posts to spot users’ latest methods for shirking their missions, said Jay Shin, chief executive of DelightRoom, the South Korean company behind Alarmy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

If letting Claude kill people on its own is not shirking oversight mechanisms, then we might reasonably question which “oversight mechanisms” Anthropic is talking about.

From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2026

BC Smith calls “Phasmagorica” an “experiment,” shirking at the word performance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025

One-time hick-hop rapper Jelly Roll is old hat at songs to soundtrack shirking child support payments, but he’s found a bit of a new lane in the path blazed by Wallen.

From Salon ● May 16, 2025

“Then I’ll have to do it myself, Father, if you insist on shirking your responsibilities.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy