duck 1 of 2

verb

Definition of ducknext
1
as in to avoid
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery don't try to duck your commitment to spending Thanksgiving with your family by claiming you have to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weave
to move suddenly aside or to and fro duck behind a pillar before they see us

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3
as in to dip
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid ducked the new camper in the lake as a joke

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duck

2 of 2

noun

ˈdək How to pronounce duck (audio)
as in person
a member of the human race her coworkers regard her as something of an odd duck

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of duck
Verb
Instead, Clinton ducked around the front of the aircraft to another jet parked nearby. — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Native plants can help round things out, giving birds a place to duck for cover while supporting the insects many species rely on, especially when feeding their young. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Noun
According to an interview with Wired, Kulusich, 27, didn’t see her content really take off until a clip of her gifting Peter Pan a tiny crocheted duck started trending. — Alexis Mikulski Ruiz, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026 There’s a choice of tuna and shrimp, chicken and duck, chicken and salmon, and beef and sardine. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for duck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duck
  1. avoid
  2. weave
  3. dip
  4. person
  5. evade
  6. dodge
  7. dunk
  8. man
Verb
  • But Beijing has also sought to avoid domestic fuel shortages by limiting its own fuel exports.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Seven-nine percent said to avoid a ticket, 72 percent said to avoid a crash, and 60 percent said because of bad weather, according to the research.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • This film weaves that footage with new images of his exile, a poetic documentary essay that refuses the urgency of breaking news.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Colman’s upcoming Wicker film, in which her fisherwoman character asks Peter Dinklage’s basketmaker to weave her a husband, garnered buzz after the trailer — teasing Alexander Skarsgård’s straw transformation — was released at the end of July.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • In terms of lead or co-lead roles, women and girls have seen progress (38 films in 2025 compared to 20 in 2007), but the figure dipped from the 19-year high of 55 lead/co-lead roles in 2024.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Even though the forecast for this year is solid, with Cisco projecting revenue growth of about 15%, analysts see sales growth dipping next fiscal year back into the single digits.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dip
Noun
  • Two people were killed by Russian strikes in Zelenskyy's home city of Kryvyi Rih, the president wrote, as was one person in the northeastern city of Sumy.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Thirteen employees of a steel factory in Kryvyi Rih were injured and one person died, according to Arcelor Mittal, which operates the plant.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of person
Verb
  • Mateychuk is an excellent skater, with clear NHL edge work and speed to be able to skate pucks up ice, evade pressure and close on checks.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Hennepin County’s top prosecutor calls the interstate clash over Castro’s transfer a needless test of states’ duty to honor extradition — and of whether federal agents can evade accountability.
    — Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • Because the sites are generally located at least 100 feet away from any trails, visiting them can require bushwhacking through swampy terrain or dense undergrowth, dodging branches and the occasional cobweb.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The movie sees that trap coming and dodges it by the skin of its teeth.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dodge
Verb
  • Venom dunking Who would win in a basketball game, Spider-Man or his evil doppelgänger Venom?
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • O’Neal’s motivation for DUNKMAN was to create a better dunking platform than the NBA’s current version of the Slam Dunk Contest.
    — Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dunk
Noun
  • The young men made an emergency call for towing assistance and were focused on dealing with the sinking boat and leaving the island.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Vernon, meanwhile, is encouraging people to remember that there was a man, a husband and father behind the headlines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of man

Phrases Containing duck

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duchy
duck
ducked
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Cite this Entry

“Duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duck. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on duck

Nglish: Translation of duck for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duck

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