- 1[intransitive, transitive] to move your head or body downward to avoid being hit or seen He had to duck as he came through the door. duck (down) (behind/under something) We ducked down behind the wall so they wouldn't see us. He ducked under the overhanging branches. He just managed to duck out of sight. duck something She ducked her head and got into the car.
- 2[transitive] duck something to avoid something by moving your head or body out of the way synonym dodge He ducked the first few blows, then started to fight back.
- 3[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move somewhere quickly, especially in order to avoid being seen She ducked into the adjoining room as we came in.
- 4[intransitive] + adv./prep. to visit somewhere, especially for a short time I think he ducked into the grocery store for a few minutes.
- 5[intransitive, transitive] (informal) to avoid a difficult or unpleasant duty or responsibility duck out of something It's his turn to cook dinner, but I bet he'll try to duck out of it. duck something The government is ducking the issue.
duck
verbNAmE//dʌk//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they duck he / she / it ducks
past simple ducked
-ing form ducking
Check pronunciation: duck