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
Humans are sitting ducks for this application of an intimate, emotional chat bot that provides constant validation without the friction of having to deal with another person’s needs.
—
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
Drones like the Shahed which fly in a straight line with no attempt to evade ought to be sitting ducks.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Once the safety car ended, Verstappen was essentially a sitting duck, immediately losing the rear of the RB-21 and just managing to keep it on the track.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
As stars sit around, waiting for a random ring that will change their life, often surrounded by TV cameras ready to broadcast the moment to the world, they’re reduced to sitting ducks.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sitting duck
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
Drones like the Shahed which fly in a straight line with no attempt to evade ought to be sitting ducks.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Once the safety car ended, Verstappen was essentially a sitting duck, immediately losing the rear of the RB-21 and just managing to keep it on the track.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
As stars sit around, waiting for a random ring that will change their life, often surrounded by TV cameras ready to broadcast the moment to the world, they’re reduced to sitting ducks.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sitting duck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sitting duck
Noun
-
Many of these hospitals and clinics became the target of protests or bomb threats.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Jezero's altitude rules it out as a target, however.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Bystanders in the area helped authorities lift part of the helicopter and get the victim out, who was then loaded into an ambulance, according to Sylvia.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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The first arriving engine found one of the victims had been trapped under the helicopter, Sylvia said.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sitting duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sitting%20duck. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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