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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“We had a very candid, very honest conversation about some of the things that the Latino community is missing under her administration, and she didn’t dodge, which was kind of impressive,” Serrano said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
"Research was silenced, controversial work was shelved and universities were able to dodge accountability," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
AI industry insiders want workers to code smarter, think harder and lean into their humanity -- but still dodge the question of how many jobs artificial intelligence will destroy.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
And if interviewers bristle at questions or dodge them, that could be a red flag.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
I dodge my way through the chaos to the bedroom and drag my sack from beneath the bed, bringing it out to the kitchen while everyone is occupied.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
