shirk — to avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility
Pronunciation (IPA): /ʃɜːrk/
Example Sentences
- My roommate always shirks cleaning duties and mysteriously disappears when it's time to do dishes.
- Don't shirk your responsibilities as a team leader.
- The lazy cat shirks its duty as a mouse catcher and prefers napping all day.
shirk
VERB[/ʃɜːrk/]
to avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility
He tries to shirk his dishwashing duty by sneaking out the back door.
SH(shush) + IRK(annoy) — keeping quiet(SH) to irk(annoy) her furious boss, the lazy maid managed to shirk her cleaning tasks.
Giving a lazy smirk, the arrogant knight decided to shirk his night guard duty.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From German 'schirken' or Dutch 'schurken' (to shirk, to sneak away), possibly related to 'shirk' meaning a disreputable person. The word entered English in the 17th century with nautical and colloquial origins.
Breakdown
shirk - a single morpheme with no productive affixes; the root word itself comes from Germanic sources meaning 'to avoid' or 'to skulk'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My roommate always shirks cleaning duties and mysteriously disappears when it's time to do dishes.”
“Don't shirk your responsibilities as a team leader.”
“The lazy cat shirks its duty as a mouse catcher and prefers napping all day.”
“Students who shirk their homework often struggle during exams.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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