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
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2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ducked
Knight ducked her head and smiled when the medal was hung around her neck, her face a mix of pride and exhaustion.
—
Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
And the Cougars haven’t ducked anyone.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
During the demonstration, the Dexory bot ducked under a low pipe near the ceiling and stopped before rolling around a person standing in its path.
—Liam Rappleye, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
During the demonstration, the Dexory bot ducked under a low pipe near the ceiling and stopped before rolling around a person standing in its path.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Zayn leaped off the top, and Orton ducked.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Once upon a time, Paul Thomas Anderson ducked into a movie theater in the Netherlands.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
Andy Byron, then CEO of tech company Astronomer, and the company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot broke away from a cosy embrace and ducked for cover to avoid being caught on kiss cam.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters.
—CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
And the Cougars haven’t ducked anyone.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
During the demonstration, the Dexory bot ducked under a low pipe near the ceiling and stopped before rolling around a person standing in its path.
—Liam Rappleye, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
During the demonstration, the Dexory bot ducked under a low pipe near the ceiling and stopped before rolling around a person standing in its path.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Zayn leaped off the top, and Orton ducked.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Once upon a time, Paul Thomas Anderson ducked into a movie theater in the Netherlands.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
Andy Byron, then CEO of tech company Astronomer, and the company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot broke away from a cosy embrace and ducked for cover to avoid being caught on kiss cam.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters.
—CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ducked
Verb
-
When pressed, the executives either denied or avoided talking about using the most advanced technology to reject authorization requests or toss out claims.—
Darius Tahir,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The answer is tens, and in some cases hundreds of billions of pounds of carbon pollution avoided each year.—
Aya Diab,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Diners looking for an ultra-crispy texture sometimes request their fillets be dipped and fried again.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
-
It is typically dipped in salt water and then eaten.—
Seth Jacobson,
wickedlocal.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The series reveals how the Russian government evaded facts and truth.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Surprisingly, among the more than 1,000 recipes published in the past 25 years of columns and cookbooks, a true, crisp and delicious almond cookie recipe had evaded me until now.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, says Harvard has dodged giving the documents for more than 10 months.—
The Hill Staff,
The Hill,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ocasio-Cortez dodged a question on a potential 2028 presidential run while also at the conference.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Might be a nice world to be immersed in for a while.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Arriving on the historically Black campus in 1960 just months after students there launched sit-ins at a whites-only lunch counter, Jackson immersed himself in the blossoming Civil Rights Movement.—
Sophia Tareen,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Set against a ’90s true-crime backdrop, the fictional character is a female serial killer who targets repeat violent offenders who escaped accountability through power, prestige, or institutional failure.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Few Mexican restaurant chains in the United States — really, just Taco Bell — have escaped this destiny.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The person appeared to have accidentally drowned, a police spokesperson said, and no foul play is suspected.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
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There is still time for a course correction, but not if the truth is drowned out with bullying and lies.—
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ducked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ducked. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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