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

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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
• are shirking
  progressive
• am 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

In the past, the Chinese government “could adapt flexibly to a problem. They put economic development first,” Ms. Shirk said.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2023

"In the past, we could always count on China's leaders to be pragmatic about economic policy, and prudent in their foreign policy. We don't see that now," Ms Shirk says.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2022

“It’s another example of Xi Jinping’s paranoia,” said Susan Shirk, a scholar of Chinese politics at the University of California at San Diego.

From Washington Post • Oct. 16, 2022

“The authorities are not able to establish order, and they’re not able to hold people to account,” Shirk said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2022

Meantime Shirk had telegraphed the Admiral and Fitch, and the latter came to his assistance with three of the Cumberland River light-draughts.

From The Gulf and Inland Waters The Navy in the Civil War. Volume 3. by Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer)