duck

noun
UK: /dʌk/
US: /dʌk/

  1. A water bird with short legs and a wide beak.

    1. I saw a duck in the park today. [ ] [ ]
    2. The ducks swam gracefully across the tranquil lake near my house. [ ] [ ]

  2. The flesh of a duck used as food.

    1. We had duck for dinner last night. [ ] [ ]
    2. The chef prepared the duck with a flavorful orange sauce, delighting everyone. [ ] [ ]

  3. A term of endearment.

    1. Hello, duck, how are you today? [ ] [ ]
    2. Alright, duck, what can I get for you from the shop today, love? [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

evade avoid dodge shirk
duck verb

  1. To lower your head or body quickly to avoid being hit.

    1. Duck! The ball is coming right at you. [ ] [ ]
    2. She had to duck quickly as the low-hanging branch swung towards her face. [ ] [ ]

  2. To avoid an unpleasant duty or responsibility.

    1. He tried to duck out of the meeting. [ ] [ ]
    2. The politician was accused of trying to duck questions about his past actions. [ ] [ ]

  3. To push someone underwater for a short time.

    1. The bully tried to duck him in the pool. [ ] [ ]
    2. As a joke, he threatened to duck his friend in the lake at summer camp. [ ] [ ]
duck intransitive-verb

  1. Quickly move out of the way.

    1. Duck behind the car! [ ] [ ]
    2. To dodge the water balloon, duck quickly, and you'll avoid getting wet. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "duck" in English means: A water bird with short legs and a wide beak., The flesh of a duck used as food., A term of endearment..

The phonetic transcription of "duck" is /dʌk/ in British English and /dʌk/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "duck": evade, avoid, dodge, shirk.

Example usage of "duck": "I saw a duck in the park today.". More examples on the page.