duck
1 Americannoun
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ducks,
plural
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duck
plural
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any of numerous wild or domesticated web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, especially of the genus Anas and allied genera, characterized by abroad, flat bill, short legs, and depressed body.
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the female of this bird, as distinguished from the male.
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the flesh of this bird, eaten as food.
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Informal. person; individual.
He's the queer old duck with the shaved head and walrus mustache.
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a playing marble, especially one that is not used as a shooter.
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(used with a singular verb) ducks, ducky.
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Cricket Slang.
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failure of a batsman to score.
to be out for a duck.
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a player's score of zero.
to be bowled for a duck.
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idioms
verb (used without object)
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ducks,
present (3rd person singular)
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ducked,
past participle, past
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ducking
present participle
verb (used with object)
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ducks,
present (3rd person singular)
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ducked,
past participle, past
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ducking
present participle
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to lower suddenly.
Duck your head going through that low doorway.
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to avoid or evade (a blow, unpleasant task, etc.); dodge: to duck an embarrassing question.
to duck a hard right;
to duck an embarrassing question.
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to plunge or dip in water momentarily.
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Cards Informal. to play a card lower than (the card led).
noun
noun
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a heavy, plain-weave cotton fabric for tents, clothing, bags, etc., in any of various weights and widths.
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(used with a plural verb) ducks, slacks or trousers made of this material.
noun
noun
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any of various small aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, typically having short legs, webbed feet, and a broad blunt bill: order Anseriformes
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the flesh of this bird, used as food
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the female of such a bird, as opposed to the male (drake)
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any other bird of the family Anatidae, including geese, and swans
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Also: ducks. informal dear or darling: used as a term of endearment or of general address See also ducky
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informal a person, esp one regarded as odd or endearing
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cricket a score of nothing by a batsman
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informal without effect
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informal to become adept at or attracted to something very quickly
verb
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to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away, esp so as to escape observation or evade a blow
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to submerge or plunge suddenly and often briefly under water
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informal to dodge or escape (a person, duty, etc)
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(intr) bridge to play a low card when possessing a higher one rather than try to win a trick
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ducksimple
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duckssimple
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have duckedperfect
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has duckedperfect
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am duckingprogressive
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are duckingprogressive
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is duckingprogressive
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have been duckingperfect progressive
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has been duckingperfect progressive
Past
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duckedsimple
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had duckedperfect
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was duckingprogressive
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were duckingprogressive
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had been duckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of duck1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English duk, doke, Old English dūce “diver, duck”; akin to duck 2
Origin of duck2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English duken, douken; cognate with German tauchen “to dive,” ducken “to duck”
Origin of duck3
First recorded in 1630–40; from Dutch doek “cloth”; cognate with German Tuch
Origin of duck4
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; by alteration
Explanation
A duck is a bird that spends much of its life on or near water. You can sometimes see whole families of ducks paddling across lakes and ponds. Ducks can be wild or domesticated — if you keep ducks in your yard, you'll need to provide them with at least a small body of water. When the word duck is a verb, it means "to bow or dip suddenly," like when your kite plunges suddenly and you duck to avoid getting hit in the head. You can duck figuratively, too: "Don't you dare duck out of helping me clean up after the party!"
Vocabulary lists containing duck
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Using advanced analytical methods, researchers detected remnants of collagen in the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus, a duck billed dinosaur.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mindful of the online horror stories about post-show delays, my boyfriend and I decided to duck out early to beat the rush.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fifa President Gianni Infantino is a "dead duck" following the row over attempts to sell stakes in competitions to private investments, an anonymous insider tells the Daily Star.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The stock market is a lot like a duck at the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Natalie only had a heartbeat to duck before—WUMP.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
"The disinflation ducks are starting to line up, and with oil also backing off, the market has steadily stripped away the case for another near-term Fed hike."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
She says she lost most of her goats, 300 ducks, 300 chickens and a sizeable amount of fish, as well as the machine she used to make animal feed.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Two dead ducks were found in a pond about 250 feet away from the pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The pumps are blowing air in the water to kill the algae with oxygen; the only ducks I saw were lined up at the edge, refusing to jump in even when approached by photographers.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
Once we reach the meadow, I let Boomer off the leash and he goes charging toward a line of unsuspecting ducks.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
MIAMI—My escort ducked his head into the empty TSA checkpoint 2 miles outside Miami International Airport and whispered, “We have a member arriving.‘
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“I immediately ducked down, put my hands up, and covered my head,” she said.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Then, hoping to avoid any urgent diaper events, I ducked into the next room and dialed up the president.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Other major cities have had formal infrastructure plans for years, while L.A. has ducked and dithered.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
Then he ducked around a huge pile of rocks.
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Not Brody, whose chiseled, wiry presence is ever in motion, flailing, ducking, wincing, yearning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
In modern slang it’s ghosting, or merely ducking out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
As I continued to circle the crowd, ducking between rows of folding chairs, I caught the same refrains over and over.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
Perhaps he should make that his next tattoo, so he can brag about how much the needle hurt while ducking any consequences that might truly sting.
From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025
Elliot and I zigged and zagged down the campus paths, ducking through shrubbery and doubling back on ourselves whenever possible.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
