duck 1 of 2

verb

Definition of ducknext
1
as in to avoid
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to weave
to move suddenly aside or to and fro duck behind a pillar before they see us

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3
as in to dip
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid ducked the new camper in the lake as a joke

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duck

2 of 2

noun

ˈdək How to pronounce duck (audio)
as in person
a member of the human race her coworkers regard her as something of an odd duck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 duck
Verb
Final accounting for 2025-26 revenue sharing is still to be completed, but big market clubs are on the hook for bigger bills after seven teams ducked under the luxury tax threshold ahead of the trade deadline. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2026 During her October 2025 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly ducked questions on everything from the Epstein files to the decision to prosecute former FBI director James Comey. — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
Modernist vests are modeled on vintage duck-hunting garb, the forager pants are sewn with extra-deep pockets, and the garments are made to be loose but heavy enough to withstand a day in the kitchen or scavenging in the mountains. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Axar Patel bowled Rovman Powell for a three-ball duck and West Indies was down to 44-3 in the powerplay. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for duck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duck
  1. avoid
  2. weave
  3. dip
  4. person
  5. evade
  6. dodge
  7. dunk
  8. man
Verb
  • Recently, A'ja Wilson charged aggressively toward a fan in the stands and avoided a suspension.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The group chose roads that would keep them moving, avoiding excessive stop-start riding at traffic lights and intersections wherever possible.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • With a bigger budget from Netflix, Sy and Leterrier leaned further into the show’s superhero-like qualities, expanding its universe beyond the novels of Maurice Leblanc and weaving some futuristic elements.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Rubio weaves stories about heartbreak, drugs, and the slippery, occasionally hallucinatory process of finding your way back to your own life.
    — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • Fashion designers are dipping couture in peat; memes on Instagram offer help choosing your bog witch name.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Denver Water recommends disconnecting garden hoses and shutting off outdoor faucets before temperatures dip below freezing.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dip
Noun
  • Each of those raises the odds that a young person ends up in trouble, whatever the color of his skin.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Siluanov was in the meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of person
Verb
  • Europe hopes to build the euro into an alternative global currency to evade the dollar’s iron grip.
    — Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Tel Aviv — At least 40 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men were arrested upon arriving Tuesday morning at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of attempting to evade the country's military draft, the Israel Defense Forces said.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • This moment is different, and all the advice about dodging this dodgy issue is now wrong.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • As other companies dodge the Grand Theft Auto juggernaut by avoiding the November release window, Nintendo's wholesome throwback is poised to stand out against the glitzy violence of Grand Theft Auto.
    — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dodge
Verb
  • Like all of the burrito-centric businesses popping up around Los Angeles, Pulido offers an impressive array of salsa and condiments to drizzle or dunk in.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That includes dunking your head into a bowl of ice water to trigger your mammalian dive reflex.
    — Lennon Sherburne, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of dunk
Noun
  • Russian authorities accused the Michigan man of signing a contract with Ukraine’s military in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
    — Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The plight of his followers began to emerge in mid-March 2023, when a local man told police that his brother and wife had starved their children to death in the forest on Mackenzie's orders.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of man

Phrases Containing duck

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duchy
duck
ducked
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Cite this Entry

“Duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duck. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duck

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