irk

[ urk ]

/ ɜrk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR irk ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to irritate, annoy, or exasperate: It irked him to wait in line.

Words nearby irk

irishman, irishwoman, iritic, iritis, iritomy, irk, irksome, irkutsk, irl, irm, irma

Origin of irk

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

SYNONYMS FOR irk

chafe, fret, bother; tire.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR irk ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for irk

But sometimes he veers into territory that could irk staunch patriots.
Ron Paul Book’s Juiciest Red Meat|David A. Graham|July 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The firmament possesses but one sun, and the land of Irk but one king.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan|James Morier
But my disguise begins to irk me: who will lend me a good suit?
The Plays of W. E. Henley and R. L. Stevenson|Robert Louis Stevenson
More to her spouse she is dear and less she's irk to her parents.
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus|Caius Valerius Catullus

When he had apparently made all ready, he stooped down again and smoothed out a ruck, lest its discomfort should irk the dead.
Murder Point|Coningsby Dawson
It did not irk nor worry him now to sweat and strain for hours on end.
Burned Bridges|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for irk

irk

/ (ɜːk) /

verb

(tr) to irritate, vex, or annoy

Word Origin for irk

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