1
as in avoided
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ducked
The nurse told investigators Samuelson saved his life, and according to court documents, surveillance video also shows that immediately after the nurse ducked into the hallway to get away from Grafton, Samuelson stopped moving and appeared motionless.
—
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 27 May 2026
So the team and I immediately dropped to the ground, ducked and covered.
—ABC News, 24 May 2026
The audio journalism winner was the staff of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, which investigated how the Los Angeles Clippers basketball organization seemingly ducked the NBA salary cap rule by paying its star forward, Kawhi Leonard, extra money via an endorsement deal.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 4 May 2026
Emily tried to nudge her daughter closer, but Henley pivoted and ducked behind her legs.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Aptly, people ducked in, stayed for a few minutes, and exited noticeably calmer.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
When shots were first fired on the floor above the ballroom, many guests ducked for cover under their tables.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
When shots were fired, hundreds of attendees ducked under tables or took cover inside the ballroom before being evacuated, and the event was subsequently postponed.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The man filmed casually eating a salad as everyone else ducked for cover after shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is speaking out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 27 May 2026
So the team and I immediately dropped to the ground, ducked and covered.
—ABC News, 24 May 2026
The audio journalism winner was the staff of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, which investigated how the Los Angeles Clippers basketball organization seemingly ducked the NBA salary cap rule by paying its star forward, Kawhi Leonard, extra money via an endorsement deal.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 4 May 2026
Emily tried to nudge her daughter closer, but Henley pivoted and ducked behind her legs.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Aptly, people ducked in, stayed for a few minutes, and exited noticeably calmer.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
When shots were first fired on the floor above the ballroom, many guests ducked for cover under their tables.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
When shots were fired, hundreds of attendees ducked under tables or took cover inside the ballroom before being evacuated, and the event was subsequently postponed.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The man filmed casually eating a salad as everyone else ducked for cover after shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is speaking out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ducked
Verb
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San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama avoided adding a third flagrant point to his postseason total.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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While the city avoided laying off a number of its already lean staff — which neighbors like San Francisco have had to reckon with — the city’s financial troubles are far from over.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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By making the obvious choice of waiting until a new app is as good or better than the current app before killing the app’s predecessor, AcuRite may have dodged a bullet.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
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Investors may have dodged the most significant bullet on June 5, when Standard & Poor’s opted not to change its index-listing rules for any of its market indices.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Guest comedy actor dipped to 88 from 97, while guest comedy actress rose to 82 from 74.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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The actor also dipped his toes in theater, most notably playing Rapunzel’s Prince in the Broadway production of Into the Woods.—
Kelly Martinez,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Johnson evaded questions Friday afternoon from reporters who tried to talk to him about the Bears situation at an event at the Chicago Cultural Center honoring the city’s Puerto Rican community.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
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Earlier this month, Swift's long-time collaborator and friend Jack Antonoff carefully evaded questions about his attendance.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Since becoming national team coach three and a half years ago, the Catalan has immersed himself in Portuguese history and football culture.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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In this, intact components were immersed in a specialized electrochemical bath to restore 95 percent of the dead batteries.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Junior Grace Simmons escaped an early jam to set the tone for a low-scoring complete game from the circle, and Aniyah Bailey had a birthday to remember by anchoring the team’s contagious offensive showing with two doubles and five RBI in a 3-for-4 day.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
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In 2025, Mycoworks shuttered its South Carolina biomanufacturing plant, announcing a pivot to processing cheaper third-party mycelium instead of cultivating it themselves, and Natural Fiber Welding narrowly escaped bankruptcy, adding to the sense of an ending.—
Bella Webb,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Tshabalala’s thunderous strike sends the ball rocketing into the top right corner of Óscar Pérez’s net and fires the tournament hosts ahead, as the blaring drone of vuvuzelas is – somehow – drowned out by a roar heard across the country.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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Initially, investigators from the Placentia Police Department believed that the boy drowned while Beisel left him unattended to grab some soap for a bath.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ducked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ducked. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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