to elude or evade by a sudden shift of position or by strategy.
to dodge a blow; to dodge a question.
Photography. Also hold back. (in printing) to shade (an area of a print) from exposure for a period, while exposing the remainder of the print in order to lighten or eliminate the area (sometimes followed byout ).
to move aside or change position suddenly, as to avoid a blow or get behind something.
to use evasive methods; prevaricate.
When asked a direct question, he dodges.
a quick, evasive movement, as a sudden jump away to avoid a blow or the like.
an ingenious expedient or contrivance; shifty trick.
Slang. a business, profession, or occupation.
to avoid or attempt to avoid (a blow, discovery, etc), as by moving suddenly
to evade (questions, etc) by cleverness or trickery
(intr) Leisure:Bell-ringing to make a bell change places with its neighbour when sounding in successive changes
(tr) photog to lighten or darken (selected areas on a print) by manipulating the light from an enlarger
a plan or expedient contrived to deceive
a sudden evasive or hiding movement
a clever contrivance
Leisure:Bell-ringing the act of dodging
First recorded in 1560–70; of obscure origin
To dodge something is to avoid it. In dodge ball, players dodge the balls being thrown at them. Dodging is making quick, sudden movements, usually to avoid something. You have to move quickly to dodge a flower pot that's falling from a ledge. In football, running backs are good at dodging defensive players. Politicians do a lot of maneuvers and manipulations to dodge blame, and plenty of people dodge responsibility for something they're supposed to take care of. So any kind of evasion strategy is a dodge.
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Gibson might not know specs like RPMs or cylinders, but he said he appreciates the “Fast and Furious” characters’ gorgeous cars, including Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger and Brian O’Connor’s late ’90s Mitsubishi Eclipse.
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Joel Dodge is the director of industrial policy & economic security at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator.
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The group's brands also include Alfa Romeo, Opel, Maserati and Dodge trucks.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
After living together for three years, Alex Taylor, a 33-year-old IT analyst in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Amanda Hergenreter, broke up in 2018 and informally shared custody of their son.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
My mother, father, and I were going to stay in a hotel overnight and start across the continent the next morning, May 24, in our new Dodge.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
