Main Entry:

²dodge

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

dodged; dodg·ing

Date:

1680

intransitive verb1 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 deceittransitive verb1 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 (as a duty) usually indirectly or by trickery <dodged the draft by leaving the country> <dodged questions>

— dodge a bullet also 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>