dodge

1 of 2

noun

1
: an act of evading by sudden bodily movement
2
a
: an artful device to evade, deceive, or trick
b

dodge

2 of 2

verb

dodged; dodging

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move to and fro or from place to place usually in an irregular course
dodged through the crowd
b
: to make a sudden movement in a new direction (as to evade a blow)
dodged behind the door
2
: to evade a responsibility or duty especially by trickery or deceit

transitive verb

1
a
: to evade by a sudden or repeated shift of position
dodge tacklers
b
: to avoid an encounter with
celebrities dodging the media
2
: to evade (something, such as a duty) usually indirectly or by trickery
dodged the draft by leaving the country
dodged questions
Phrases
dodge a bullet or less commonly dodge the bullet
: to narrowly avoid an unwelcome, harmful, or disastrous outcome or occurrence
coastal towns dodged a bullet when the hurricane veered out to sea

Examples of dodge in a Sentence

Noun It was just another dodge to get out of working. just another dodge to get out of working in the yard Verb He dodged the first punch but was hit by the second. She dodged through the crowds as she hurried home. We dodged between the cars as we raced across the street. They managed to dodge the reporters by leaving through the back exit. She accused him of dodging his responsibilities as a parent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Learning how to precisely time perfect parries and dodges is the key to keeping Eve alive and vanquishing foes, with much of her branching skill tree built around elevating those two simple moves. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024 Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s chief executive officer, tried to pretend that the company wasn’t Chinese—describing it instead as a global company headquartered in Singapore and Los Angeles—in his congressional testimony last year, a feeble dodge that undermined his credibility. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dodge 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dodge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1680, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dodge was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near dodge

Cite this Entry

“Dodge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dodge. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

dodge

1 of 2 noun
1
: an act of avoiding by sudden bodily movement
2
: a sly means of avoiding, deceiving, or tricking
just another dodge to get out of working
dodger noun

dodge

2 of 2 verb
dodged; dodging
1
a
: to move suddenly aside or to and fro
dodging through the crowd
b
: to avoid by moving quickly aside
dodge a blow
2
: evade sense 1
dodged the question

Biographical Definition

Dodge

biographical name

Mary Elizabeth 1831–1905 née Mapes ˈmāps How to pronounce Dodge (audio) American author

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