lame duck

noun

1

: one that is weak or that falls behind in ability or achievement

especially, chiefly British : an ailing company

2

: an elected official or group continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of a successor

3

: one whose position or term of office will soon end

lame-duck

ˈlām-ˈdək 

adjective

Examples of lame duck in a Sentence

The President was a lame duck during the end of his second term.

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress has still not passed the annual defense bill, which is a top priority for lawmakers in the lame duck session. — Justin Papp,garrett Downs,karen James Sloan,irit Skulnik, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026

Republicans still control Congress in the lame duck session, but there could be a handful of GOP members who vote for impeachment. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2026

In the lame duck, a must-pass defense bill could include export control measures that would further restrict chip sales to China. — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Those are the dynamics determining what’s possible during the lame duck session, which begins next week and ends when the next Congress is seated in January. — John Wilkerson, STAT, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lame duck

• thunderstruck
• amok
• amuck
• awestruck
• dumbstruck
• potluck
• roebuck
• unstuck
• woodchuck
• chuck
• cluck
• huck

Kids Definition

lame duck

noun

: an elected official continuing to hold office until a successor takes office