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

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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

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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
Instead of standing up for her player, Stephanie White ducked behind a wall of corporate word salad. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Burton ducked behind the gift shop counter with two teenage employees. — Mark Dee august 14, Idaho Statesman, 14 Aug. 2026
Noun
Lawrence Bouchat constructed and donated around 50 birdhouses/duck boxes to Hashawha Nature Center, in Westminster on Thursday. — Brian T. Krista, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026 But between now, November and the lame-duck period, there’s still time to pass legislation before election results shake things up. — Washington Post Opinions, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 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
  • The second, Kiyosaki’s actual father, served as an example of what to avoid.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • When Mica went to her sister Sierra’s home to avoid these situations, Miller allegedly threatened to show up at the house armed.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • After years of analysis, Caltrans has decided to weave strong micropiles into the 499 aging piles that now support the bridge’s piers, said Allan Kosup, chief deputy director of Caltrans District 11 in San Diego and Imperial counties.
    — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Kamnop is a quest for healing and justice, where dreams become reality, weaving together memory, sorrow and joy.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • The gathered detailing on the backrest of this velvety loveseat looks as if the couch was dipped in chocolate.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
  • After dipping its toes into beauty, Old Navy has refined its strategy and is gearing up for a nationwide rollout.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dip
Noun
  • Its movements and squeaks change in response to the person interacting with it, giving caregivers another way to reduce distress and encourage engagement.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Dramatic video showed the rescue of one such person as authorities from Nepal worked to drag the man out of the mud deluge.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of person
Verb
  • Those risks include scenarios in which AI could help create chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, autonomously carry out serious cyberattacks, or evade human control.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The father-daughter duo has set up shop ensconced in the woods, herding donkeys and so far evading the violence closing in on them from the outside.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • Roosts can be hard to access, and as these fleet flitters can also dodge nets, not to mention breezily detect them using their echolocation capabilities.
    — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Edmunds then dodged a rusher to complete a 49-yard pass to Skylar Robinson to set up a 32-yard field goal Malachi Newmaster on the final play of the first half.
    — Dan Albano, Oc Register, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dodge
Verb
  • Moisés Ballesteros dunked an RBI single into center for a 1-1 tie, advancing Grissom to third.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Moisés Ballesteros dunked an RBI single into center for a 1-all tie, advancing Grissom to third.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of dunk
Noun
  • In both women and men with class III obesity, defined as a BMI of 40 or higher, there was no statistically significant difference in mortality risk.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Still, the archetypal influencer in our cultural imagination is not a man reviewing watches on YouTube or hosting a podcast from his studio in Austin.
    — Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on duck

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duck

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