as in target
a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule
those stupid comments just made him a sitting duck for comedians
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Recent Examples of sitting duck
Prisoners feared they were purposefully trapped in the A Tunnel, sitting ducks for a response from corrections officers.
—
Michael Collins, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Those lucky/sitting ducks were at the center of a manifold creative pressure, like the core of a planet pulled spherical by gravity.
—Kate Colby
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Bermuda faces a rare one-two punch Bermuda is a sitting duck in the path of twin storms that could deliver a punishing blow this week, even for the seasoned and storm-tested islands.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Russian forces trapped in Ukraine would have been sitting ducks for NATO missiles and aircraft.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sitting duck
Michael Collins, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Those lucky/sitting ducks were at the center of a manifold creative pressure, like the core of a planet pulled spherical by gravity.
—Kate Colby
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Bermuda faces a rare one-two punch Bermuda is a sitting duck in the path of twin storms that could deliver a punishing blow this week, even for the seasoned and storm-tested islands.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Russian forces trapped in Ukraine would have been sitting ducks for NATO missiles and aircraft.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sitting duck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sitting duck
Noun
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Or, indeed, anyone else’s, given its alluring but thoroughly peculiar jumble of comic, dramatic and generally antic tones, or the increasingly indeterminate target of its hollow social satire.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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An app can also control modes and track real-time data—recording trips via GPS, monitoring performance metrics, and adjusting power output to help maintain a target heart rate.—
Kendall Hunter,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Family members of the shooting victims cried as the sentence was handed down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The victim was taken to Hartford Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to state police.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sitting duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sitting%20duck. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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