verb

shirk

SHURK/ʃɜːrk/

To avoid doing what one is responsible for.

The young man shirks the cleanup by slipping away from his broom.

During shared cleanup, a young man quietly slips away from his abandoned broom and remaining pile of debris while an older woman continues sweeping and looks toward him.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but an earlier meaning was to slink or sneak away. Avoiding work or responsibility extends that image of evasive withdrawal to a duty rather than a place.

In context

Center for Strategic & International Studies43:01

notwithstanding that some of our nato allies are not prepared to invest in defense that doesn't mean that that we can shirk this burden which is unique to the two capitals

After the Scottish Referendum: What are the Future Transatlantic Security Implications?

More examples

She never shirked a difficult assignment.
Stop shirking your responsibilities.
The supervisor noticed that he shirked whenever lifting was required.

Forms

shirk · shirks · shirked · shirking

shirker noun — a person who avoids duties

Similar words

evade: Evade can mean avoid anything; shirk specifically suggests avoiding work or responsibility.
neglect: Neglect can be careless failure; shirk implies dodging an obligation.