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Synonyms

duck out

Idioms  

  1. Leave hurriedly or secretly; evade responsibility. For example, If I can I'll duck out of the office early, or He simply ducked out on his entire family. This slangy expression originated in the late 1800s simply as duck, out being added about 1930.

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.

This year, he had to duck out of a dinner in Prague to secure spots for his two sons in a popular Lego camp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

But while he was close to Sa he wasn't in front of him and, unlike Robertson, he did not duck out of the path of the ball.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

The "duck out of water" appeal, Hilton's "that's hot" persona and Richie's dry humor made the show a hit.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2024

As Padres third baseman Jantzen Witte threw to second, Lux seemed to try and duck out of the way of the ball.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2023

I decided to duck out of gym class, vowing I would never walk that way again.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

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.