shirk
verb (used with object)
to evade (work, duty, responsibility, etc.).
had shirked
-
past perfectof shirk.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A 437-page report written by a panel of three judges in 2021 found that the state had shirked its duty to protect Caruana Galizia and subjected her to personal attacks and verbal abuse from politicians.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
In it, Khan implied past regulators had shirked their duties and become too lax, saying, “Enforcers have to use discretion, but that doesn’t give us the right to ignore a central part of our mandate.”
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2025
“Remember,” one friend prodded her when she had shirked work for too long, “you are a writer, not other people’s cook.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2021
Mr Hague said that eradicating sexual violence was a responsibility the world, and men in particular, had shirked for too long.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2014
Here Glaucon and Adeimantus refused to let me go on; I had shirked a serious difficulty.
From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Sir John Alexander Hammerton
