Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

duck

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of duck

a member of the human race

  • her coworkers regard her as something of an odd duck
Synonyms of duck

baby, being, bird, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight
Words Related to duck

hominid, homo, humanoid

brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor

celebrity, personality, self, somebody
Phrases Synonymous with duck

son of man
Near Antonyms of duck

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

duck

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of duck

1 to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery

  • donʼt try to duck your commitment to spending Thanksgiving with your family by claiming you have to work
Synonyms of duck

avoid, dodge, elude, escape, eschew, evade, finesse, get around, scape, shake, shirk, shuffle (out of), shun, weasel (out of)
Words Related to duck

miss

avert, deflect, divert, obviate, parry, prevent, ward (off)

ban, bar, debar, eliminate, except, exclude, preclude, rule out

bypass, circumvent, skirt

foil, fox, frustrate, outfox, outsmart, outwit, overreach, thwart
Phrases Synonymous with duck

fight shy of, keep clear of, stay clear of, steer clear of
Near Antonyms of duck

accept, court, embrace, pursue, seek, welcome

catch, contract, incur

2 to move suddenly aside or to and fro

  • duck behind a pillar before they see us
Synonyms of duck

dodge, jink, sidestep, slalom, weave, zigzag
Words Related to duck

avoid, elude, escape, evade, parry, shirk, skirt

deflect, turn

slide, slip

3 to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid

  • ducked the new camper in the lake as a joke
Synonyms of duck

dip, douse (also dowse), dunk, immerse, sop, souse, submerge, submerse
Words Related to duck

bathe, moisten, soak, steep, wet

drench, drown, flood

dive, plunge, thrust

Learn More about duck

  1. See words that rhyme with duck Dictionary: Definition of duck Medical Dictionary: Definition of duck Spanish Central: Translation of duck Nglish: Translation of duck for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of duck for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duck

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up duck? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games