canard

American  

[kuh-nahrd, ka-nar] / kəˈnɑrd, kaˈnar /

noun

plural

canards

1. a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor.

2. Cooking. a duck intended or used for food.

3. Aeronautics.

   1. an airplane that has its horizontal stabilizer and elevators located forward of the wing.

   2. Also called canard wing.  one of two small lifting wings located in front of the main wings.

   3. an early airplane having a pusher engine with the rudder and elevator assembly in front of the wings.

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canard British  

/ kæˈnɑːd, kanar /

noun

1. a false report; rumour or hoax

2. an aircraft in which the tailplane is mounted in front of the wing

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Etymology

Origin of canard

First recorded in 1840–45; from French: literally, “duck,” from Old French quanart “drake,” originally “cackler,” equivalent to can(er) “to cackle” (of expressive origin) + -art -art, as in mallart “drake”; see mallard

Explanation

During a political campaign, you will often hear on TV commercials some canard about the opponent. This is a false, deluding statement designed to confuse the voters, as it presents the other candidate in a bad light by spreading an untruth. The Old French word quanart, "duck," morphed into canard, as in "vendre un canard à moitié," which refers to "half-selling" a duck, or cheating someone, and the word came to mean something meant to fool someone deliberately. Poet James Whitcomb Riley said, "When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." Not always the case with canard.

Example Sentences

The anti-corruption association had filed a complaint in December 2025 over the misappropriation of public funds, following an article in French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Footage posted by the French satirical and investigative paper, Le Canard Enchaîné, shows two groups fighting on a nearby street corner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Comic books regularly top the French best-seller lists, and weekly satirical newspapers — most notably Charlie Hebdo and Le Canard Enchaîné — are considered national institutions.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2022

"It's sad to see such a great country, with which we could do so much, led by a clown," satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaine reported the French president as saying "privately".

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2021

And the great part in Le Canard à Trois Becs which would establish my reputation in London.

From A Mummer's Wife by Moore, George (George Augustus)

Related Words

• hoax