irked; irking; irks
: to make weary, irritated, or bored
1
: the fact of being annoying
2
: a source of annoyance
Synonyms
Examples of irk in a Sentence
Verb
Drivers were irked by the higher gasoline prices.
It irks me to have to clean up after you.
Noun
one of the prof's major irks is a cell phone that rings during a lecture
Recent Examples on the Web
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
That the teams will not address the consequences of a no vote directly irks Tim Smith, campaign manager for the Committee Against New Royals Stadium Taxes.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
This omission irks some education activists, even those who admire Mr. Kozol.
—Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
The abusive Snider, whom Stratten married in 1979, spent a lot of time around the Mansion, which irked many people, including Hugh Hefner.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
But the very suggestion of the format change has been enough to irk some.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Here are five bad beats that irked a significant number of bettors Sunday night.
—Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Her modern brand of feminism appeals to a younger generation, but irks some of France’s older guard.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024
In a tactic that irked the prosecutor, James Crumbley's lawyer asked prospective jurors questions related to the key issues in the historic case that seeks to hold a father responsible for a deadly school shooting carried out by his son.
—Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024
Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
From that slight irk, a fuse is now irrevocably lit.
—Hank Stuever, Washington Post, 13 June 2019
But under the direction of Susannah Martin, those devices more irk than stoke fear.
—Lily Janiak, SFChronicle.com, 25 June 2018
Verb
The fact that the A’s are moving to Sacramento, of all cities, especially irked some fans.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
That the teams will not address the consequences of a no vote directly irks Tim Smith, campaign manager for the Committee Against New Royals Stadium Taxes.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
This omission irks some education activists, even those who admire Mr. Kozol.
—Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
The abusive Snider, whom Stratten married in 1979, spent a lot of time around the Mansion, which irked many people, including Hugh Hefner.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
But the very suggestion of the format change has been enough to irk some.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Here are five bad beats that irked a significant number of bettors Sunday night.
—Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Her modern brand of feminism appeals to a younger generation, but irks some of France’s older guard.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024
In a tactic that irked the prosecutor, James Crumbley's lawyer asked prospective jurors questions related to the key issues in the historic case that seeks to hold a father responsible for a deadly school shooting carried out by his son.
—Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
The violence gets worse from there, and somehow all that is supposed to fit into a show about a Washington socialite whose biggest irk in the premiere is her rivalry with the first lady.
—Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson varieties seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of immunological irk.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2021
From that slight irk, a fuse is now irrevocably lit.
—Hank Stuever, Washington Post, 13 June 2019
But under the direction of Susannah Martin, those devices more irk than stoke fear.
—Lily Janiak, SFChronicle.com, 25 June 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near irk
Cite this Entry
“Irk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irk. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
irk
verbˈərk
: to make weary, irritated, or bored : annoy
More from Merriam-Webster on irk
Nglish: Translation of irk for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of irk for Arabic Speakers
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