quack

¹ American  

[kwak] / kwæk /

noun

1. the harsh, throaty cry of a duck or any similar sound.

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verb (used without object)

1. to utter the cry of a duck or a sound resembling it.

quack ² American  

[kwak] / kwæk /

noun

1. a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill.

   Desperation for a cure led her to a quack who took her money.

2. a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or qualifications they do not possess; a charlatan.

   Synonyms:

   phony , mountebank

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adjective

1. being a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to skills, especially medical skills.

   He's just a quack psychologist who complicates everyone's problems.

2. presented falsely as having curative powers.

   quack medicine.

3. of, relating to, or befitting a quack or quackery.

   Her quack methods have helped no one.

verb (used with object)

1. to treat in the manner of a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill.

2. to advertise or sell with fraudulent claims.

quack ¹ British  

/ kwæk /

noun

1. 1. an unqualified person who claims medical knowledge or other skills

   2. ( as modifier )

      a quack doctor

2. informal  a doctor; physician or surgeon

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verb

1. (intr) to act in the manner of a quack

quack ² British  

/ kwæk /

verb

1. (of a duck) to utter a harsh guttural sound

2. to make a noise like a duck

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noun

1. the harsh guttural sound made by a duck

Other Word Forms

• quackish adjective
• quackishly adverb
• quackishness noun

Etymology

Origin of quack¹

First recorded in 1570–80; imitative; compare Dutch kwakken, German quacken

Origin of quack²

First recorded in 1630–40; short for quacksalver

Example Sentences

One of the firm’s employees, sitting with a colleague beside a pond in Central Park, noted that ducks quacking nearby sounded like they were saying “Aflac.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Fischer elaborated, “Whatever reaction shot you’re seeing, he’s just reacting to us saying funny words like ‘neon sign’ or ‘chicken’ or something like ‘quack a duck.’

From Salon

It’s in service of crank conspiracy theories, quack wellness influencers and weird dystopian visions of supermen doing pull-ups to demonstrate their patriotism.

From Salon

And that is how a quack who treats the tender corns on pedicured toes suddenly becomes a world-renowned corn doctor in a show that seemingly never met a pun it didn’t like.

From Los Angeles Times

“The secretary of defense, in charge of defending the American people, was accidentally texting military strike information to journalists. The secretary of public health…is a quack.”

From Salon