irk
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has irkedperfect 3rd person singular
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have irkedperfect
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is irkingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are irkingprogressive
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irkingparticiple
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irkssingular 3rd person
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has been irkingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am irkingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been irkingperfect progressive
Past
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had irkedperfect
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irkedsimple
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irkedparticiple
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were irkingprogressive plural
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had been irkingperfect progressive
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was irkingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of irk
1300–50; Middle English irken to grow tired, tire < Old Norse yrkja to work, cognate with Old English wyrcan; see work
Explanation
The verb irk means "annoy," so if the incessant barking of your next door neighbor's pug is driving you crazy, you can say that the noise irks you. Being irked is an individual thing — what drives you crazy might be something your friend doesn't even notice. For example, it might irk your grammarian friend every time he hears someone says "ain't," but other people don't mind it. The earliest version of the word irk, irken, meant "to feel weary or tired," but it later came to mean "to tire of or to be disgusted with."
Vocabulary lists containing irk
English Words Derived from Old Norse
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Touching Spirit Bear
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is a rhetoric likely to irk bondholders.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Consider what Brunson said recently in response to being asked to share the basketball more, the sort of glory-curbing request that can irk an NBA star.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
One would assume that — slight compliment to his comedic chops or not — this will irk Trump.
From Salon • Sep. 18, 2024
What appears especially to irk Wonderful is that the board has twice rejected its motions to suspend, or stay, the certification and negotiation procedure until after it rules on the company’s objections.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2024
He and his new bride would come to them soon, though the Lady Una could be no more specific about the date of their arrival than this, and it appeared to irk her.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
