irk

[ urk ]
See synonyms for: irkirkedirking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to irritate, annoy, or exasperate: It irked him to wait in line.

Origin of irk

1
1300–50; Middle English irken to grow tired, tire <Old Norse yrkja to work, cognate with Old English wyrcan;see work

Other words for irk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use irk in a sentence

  • Can the U.S. reassert its role in Asia without irking Beijing?

    Taming the Dragon | Melinda Liu | October 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • His heart leaped at the notion of getting away from Ponkwasset; he perceived how it had been irking him to stay.

    April Hopes | William Dean Howells
  • "I have no desire or intention of irking you up, sir," he said.

    Frank Merriwell's Backers | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for irk

irk

/ (ɜːk) /


verb
  1. (tr) to irritate, vex, or annoy

Origin of irk

1
C13 irken to grow weary; probably related to Old Norse yrkja to work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012