shirk
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shirk¹
- /ʃɜːk/ UK
- /ʃɚk/ US
Sounds like SSHRC · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k
Where it comes from
First use appears c. 1633, in the publications of Shackerley Marmion, apparently from association with shark (verb), or otherwise directly from German Schurke (“rogue, knave”).
verb shirks · shirking · shirked
- To avoid, especially a duty, responsibility, etc.; to stay away from. the usual makeshift by which they try to shirk difficulties
- To evade an obligation; to avoid the performance of duty, as by running away. If you have a job, don't shirk from it by staying off work.
- To procure by petty fraud and trickery; to obtain by mean solicitation. You that never heard the call of any vocation, […] that shirk living from others, but time from yourselves.
Similar: shrink, blow off, cop out, dog, doss, duck, flinch, goldbrick, goof off, lollygag, malinger, procrastinate, shirk, slack off, soldier, swing the lead, weasel out
noun shirks
-
One who shirks, who avoids a duty or responsibility.
I may add here that, coming as the soldiers did from all avocations and stations in life, these details for fatigue often brought together men few of whom had any practical knowledge of the work in hand; so that aside from the shirks, who could work but would not, there were other who would but coul
Similar: dodger
shirk²
- /ʃɜːk/ UK
- /ʃɝk/ US
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Arabic شِرْك (širk).
noun
- The unforgivable sin of association (claiming something or someone can share in the oneness of God). A person can have committed shirk in their lifetime and still find forgiveness (especially by saying the Shahada and becoming a Muslim). The concept is that if one dies in this state (as a mushrik, an idolator, one who engages in and does not repent shirk), there is no forgiveness.
Shirk³
proper noun Shirks
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Translations
Every language
verb (transitive) avoid a duty
| Español | escaquearse de, fumarse, capar, capear, escurrir el bulto |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 逃避 táobì |
| Português | esquivar |
| Français | esquiver, éviter, se défiler |
| Deutsch | sich drücken, umgehen, meiden, ausweichen, aus dem Weg gehen, kneifen |
| Italiano | scansare, sottrarsi, dare buca, eludere |
| Ελληνικά | λουφάω loufáo |
| Română | eschiva, fofila |
| Русский | сачкова́ть sačkovátʹ, ло́дырничать lódyrničatʹ, безде́льничать bezdélʹničatʹ, уви́ливать uvílivatʹ, уклоня́ться uklonjátʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | trốn tránh |
Talk about this word "shirk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shirk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shirk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shirk "shirk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shirk.Cite this
@misc{shirk_2026,
title = {shirk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shirk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
