Adjacent Words

Shirk definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SHIRK, a different spelling of shark, which see.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties" [syn: fiddle, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick]
2: avoid dealing with; "She shirks her duties"

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1681 intransitive verb 1. to go stealthily ; sneak 2. to evade the performance of an obligation transitive verb avoid, evade <shirk one's duty> • shirker noun

Britannica Concise

In Islam, idolatry and polytheism, both of which are regarded as heretical. The Quran stresses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik), and warns that those who believe in idols will be harshly dealt with on the Day of Judgment. The concept of shirk has broadened considerably throughout the dogmatic development of Islam, and has come to be used as the opposite of tawhid (the oneness of God). Different grades of shirk have been distinguished by Islamic law; they include the belief in superstition, belief in the power of created things (e.g., reverencing saints), and belief in those who profess to know the future--all of which pale beside polytheism in seriousness.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. (also absol.) shrink from; avoid; get out of (duty, work, responsibility, fighting, etc.). --n. a person who shirks. Derivatives: shirker n. Etymology: obs. shirk (n.) sponger, perh. f. G Schurke scoundrel

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shirk Shirk, v. i. 1. To live by shifts and fraud; to shark. 2. To evade an obligation; to avoid the performance of duty, as by running away. One of the cities shirked from the league. --Byron.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shirk Shirk, n. One who lives by shifts and tricks; one who avoids the performance of duty or labor.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Shirk Shirk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shirked; p. pr. & vb. n. Shirking.] [Probably the same word as shark. See Shark, v. t.] 1. 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. --Bp. Rainbow. 2. To avoid; to escape; to neglect; -- implying unfaithfulness or fraud; as, to shirk duty. The usual makeshift by which they try to shirk difficulties. --Hare.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(shirks, shirking, shirked) If someone does not shirk their responsibility or duty, they do what they have a responsibility to do. We in the Congress can't shirk our responsibility... The Government will not shirk from considering the need for further action. VERB: usu with neg, V n, V from -ing/n, also V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Avoid unfairly, evade, get off from, slink away from. 2. Cheat, trick, shark. II. v. n. 1. Shark. 2. Shift, depart, quit.

Moby Thesaurus

abandon, avoid, bilk, burke, bypass, creep, cut, dodge, dog it, double, duck, duck duty, eschew, evade, fence, get around, get out of, goldbrick, goof off, gumshoe, jump, leave, leave loose ends, leave undone, let alone, let be, let dangle, let go, lurk, malinger, miss, not pull fair, omit, parry, pass over, pass up, pretermit, procrastinate, pussyfoot, shrink from, shun, sidestep, skip, skive, skulk, slack, slide out of, slink, slip, slip out of, snake, sneak out of, soldier, steal, trifle, welsh