as in targets
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sitting ducks
Club owners are kind of sitting ducks.
—
Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Russian forces trapped in Ukraine would have been sitting ducks for NATO missiles and aircraft.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
Without the government’s ability to share robust intelligence about new attack methods, SMBs become sitting ducks for cybercriminals who specifically target organizations that can’t afford to lose days or weeks.
—Cynthia Kaiser, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Russian forces trapped in Ukraine would have been sitting ducks for NATO missiles and aircraft.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
Without the government’s ability to share robust intelligence about new attack methods, SMBs become sitting ducks for cybercriminals who specifically target organizations that can’t afford to lose days or weeks.
—Cynthia Kaiser, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sitting ducks
Noun
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His tío was a babalao (a Santería priest) who could conjure a spirit known as an orixá that could then take the form of its targets’ ancestors.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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The main challenges include aligning climate finance commitments between developed and developing countries, addressing the socio-economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and ensuring that emission reduction targets are consistent with the latest climate science.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Other evidence released includes handwritten notes from investigators, photos of nail clippings from the victims that were tested for DNA evidence and samples from Kohberger's Hyundai Elantra that were tested at the crime lab.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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The ceremony will feature singer Lee Murdock and end with a wreath ceremony, each wreath representing one of the victims, per the society.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sitting ducks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sitting%20ducks. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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