duck out
phrasal verb
ducked out; ducking out; ducks out
informal
: to leave suddenly and usually without telling anyone that one is leaving
We ducked out after the first act of the play.
—often + on or ofThey ducked out on us without even saying goodbye.
I had to duck out of the meeting to take a phone call.
—often used figuratively and in a sneaky or improper wayHe wants to duck out of the contract.
She ducked out on paying the bill for the meal.
Examples of duck out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But instead of sticking around to see the sketches, songs, and Hollywood's it-dog, Curtis ducked out of the Dolby Theatre early and headed to In-N-Out Burger for a classic L.A. dinner.
—
Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis made quick work of her Oscar duties Sunday and ducked out early to go to In-N-Out.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Still, my warm, welcoming, Catholic school teachers never made menstruating kids feel bad about ducking out to the nurse for a pad or needing to sit out during P.E. because of cramps.
—Caroline Colvin, Health, 9 Mar. 2024
While the rest of the Kansas City players celebrated their 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens — a win that sends the Chiefs to their fourth Super Bowl in five years — the star tight end quickly dressed and ducked out of the locker room, presumably to spend time with girlfriend Taylor Swift.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024
The not-so-secret fact about premieres is that the actors rarely watch, usually ducking out when the lights go down.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 20 Jan. 2024
Swift ducked out of the awards show after losing her category — cinematic box office achievement — to Barbie, shortly after 10:00 p.m. EST.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
For Xi to be a no-show, coming on the heels of his G-20 absence and ducking out of a speech at a summit of developing nations in August, would be a poor look, said Danny Russel, a former White House Asia aide in the Obama administration.
—Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
So far, Trump's decision to duck out of the debates hasn't hurt his poll numbers.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2023
Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis made quick work of her Oscar duties Sunday and ducked out early to go to In-N-Out.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Still, my warm, welcoming, Catholic school teachers never made menstruating kids feel bad about ducking out to the nurse for a pad or needing to sit out during P.E. because of cramps.
—Caroline Colvin, Health, 9 Mar. 2024
While the rest of the Kansas City players celebrated their 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens — a win that sends the Chiefs to their fourth Super Bowl in five years — the star tight end quickly dressed and ducked out of the locker room, presumably to spend time with girlfriend Taylor Swift.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024
The not-so-secret fact about premieres is that the actors rarely watch, usually ducking out when the lights go down.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 20 Jan. 2024
Swift ducked out of the awards show after losing her category — cinematic box office achievement — to Barbie, shortly after 10:00 p.m. EST.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
For Xi to be a no-show, coming on the heels of his G-20 absence and ducking out of a speech at a summit of developing nations in August, would be a poor look, said Danny Russel, a former White House Asia aide in the Obama administration.
—Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
So far, Trump's decision to duck out of the debates hasn't hurt his poll numbers.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duck out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Duck out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duck%20out. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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