Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jonathan, 40, a balloon artist who runs an event business, had ducked out to a matinee of “The Odyssey.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
For months, Mr. Biden’s aides had ducked questions about whether he would travel to Africa during a busy election year.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2024
My companion and I had ducked into a dark, wood-and-tile bar somewhere in Madrid, Spain, after a long afternoon of art museums and wandering.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2023
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, manager Dave Roberts and third baseman Justin Turner, however, had ducked outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2022
The two of them had ducked beneath it that day, just like Ess and Sam.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
