1
as in disaster
something that has failed
our first attempt was a complete dud, so we had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clothes
duds plural
covering for the human body
those are some pretty fancy duds you're wearing
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in things
duds plural
transportable items that one owns
you have one hour to pack up your duds and clear out of here
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in defective
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 dud
Vivienne Walt, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Duplass’ Michael is a dud, sorta sweet but totally spineless.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Out of 23 songs, there’s maybe five or six keepers, buried in way too many duds that drag on forever at three minutes.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dud
Noun
The group has had big wins, but has also faced a string of dud votes in recent years.
—Vivienne Walt, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Duplass’ Michael is a dud, sorta sweet but totally spineless.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Last September, generative AI was looking to me like a big dud.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Out of 23 songs, there’s maybe five or six keepers, buried in way too many duds that drag on forever at three minutes.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dud
Noun
-
In the area of Eaton Fire, the pace of permit approvals is much quicker than before the disaster — an average of 72 days, compared with about eight months previously.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The agency is still investigating the disaster and hosted a series of hearings on the matter over the summer.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Shannon tries to ram the trainers with elbows because, yeah, Shannon does those kinds of things.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
-
That means creative packing, while also keeping things as lightweight as possible to stay mobile.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Inspectors also found missing and defective smoke detectors and a non-functional fire alarm panel, Rushin said.—
JC Reindl,
Freep.com,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Despite the large number of vehicles recalled, the report stated that just 1% of the items are estimated to actually be defective.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Griffith and CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening are facing charges, including disorderly conduct, failure to disperse, obstructing a highway and obstructing an emergency responder.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Luckily, clever Frances must have understood her caper was destined for failure.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Since buying the property in 2013, Swift has drawn fans to Bay Street, the village's main drag of clothing boutiques and ice cream counters, all checklist items on the Swiftie itinerary.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The duo poured cups of coffee from a rotation of conventional café spaces, such as Milwaukee Caffé, and unconventional ones, like Savvy Chic, a clothing and homeware boutique in Eastern Market.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But this stuff is taken personally, and there is also a financial backend here.—
Senior Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
As far as family, kids, wife, all that stuff going on.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Sainz and Williams initiating a right of review protest four days later revived my feeling that his penalty was an unsatisfactory outcome, regardless of the rules.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Harris has since demanded information about the investment, but alleges that the responses have been limited and unsatisfactory.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Richter agreed, expressing disappointment about the ways in which clean energy has become politicized.—
Katherine Fung
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
There’s something beautiful about learning to get over that disappointment and all these expectations others have for us.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dud. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share