Shirk

/ʃɜrk/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to evade work, duty, or responsibility

He tried to shirk his responsibilities by blaming others for his mistakes.

to avoid a task or duty, especially out of laziness or fear

She always shirks her chores, leaving them for her siblings to complete.

to escape or avoid (something undesirable)

The student attempted to shirk the exam by claiming to be sick.

Middle English shirken, from shirk (verb) 'to evade or shrink from'.

shirk one's responsibilities

to avoid fulfilling one's duties.

shirk and shirk

to constantly avoid responsibilities.

evade

to escape or avoid something, especially by cleverness or trickery.

neglect

to fail to care for or attend to something properly.

Cutting corners

He was cutting corners on his project, trying to shirk work.

Slacking off

She was just slacking off instead of studying for the exam.