shirker

American

[shur-ker] / ˈʃɜr kər /

noun

a person who evades work, duty, responsibility, etc.

Etymology

Origin of shirker

First recorded in 1790–1800; shirk + -er ¹

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.

In the car, it is a navigator, a radio, a nagging distractor and a ready accessory to manslaughter; at work, it is both a vigilant assistant and an eager fellow shirker.

From New York Times • May 16, 2018

He is the savior and the sage instead of the selfish shirker.

From Washington Post • Oct. 3, 2016

I remember how my lottery draft number was "356" and, at the time, everyone saw me as fortunate rather than a shirker or coward...

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2016

At Lord's Sachin Tendulkar, no shirker, never took his pads off throughout India's final training session.

From The Guardian • Jul. 28, 2011

I don't really see why it should make any difference about going out, or not going out ... otherwise every shirker could run off and marry a wife, and live happily ever after....

From The Secret Battle by Herbert, A. P.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023