duck

duck
[[t]dʌ̱k[/t]]
ducks, ducking, ducked
1) N-VAR A duck is a very common water bird with short legs, a short neck, and a large flat beak.

Chickens and ducks scratch around the outbuildings.

N-UNCOUNT
Duck is the flesh of this bird when it is eaten as food.

...honey roasted duck.

2) N-COUNT A duck is a female duck. The male is called a drake.

I brought in one drake and three ducks.

3) VERB If you duck, you move your head or the top half of your body quickly downwards to avoid something that might hit you, or to avoid being seen.

He ducked in time to save his head from a blow from the poker...

[V n] He ducked his head to hide his admiration...

[V adv/prep] I wanted to duck down and slip past but they saw me.

4) VERB If you duck something such as a blow, you avoid it by moving your head or body quickly downwards.

[V n] Hans deftly ducked their blows.

Syn:
5) VERB If you duck into a place, you move there quickly, often in an attempt to avoid danger or to avoid being seen. [mainly INFORMAL]

[V prep/adv] Matt ducked into his office...

[V prep/adv] He ducked through the door and looked about frantically.

Syn:
6) VERB (disapproval) You say that someone ducks a duty or responsibility when you disapprove of the fact that they avoid it. [INFORMAL]

[V n] The Opposition reckons the Health Secretary has ducked all the difficult decisions...

[V n] He had ducked the confrontation with United Nations inspectors last summer.

Syn:
7) VERB If someone ducks someone else, they force them or their head under water for a short time.

[V n] She splashed around in the pool with Mark, rowdily trying to duck him.

8) → See also , lame duck, sitting duck
9) N-VOC (feelings) Some people call other people duck or ducks as a sign of affection. [BRIT]

Oh, I am glad to see you, duck.

10) PHRASE: v-link PHR (emphasis) You say that criticism is like water off a duck's back or water off a duck's back to emphasize that it is not having any effect on the person being criticized.

All the criticism is water off a duck's back to me.

11) PHRASE: V inflects If you take to something like a duck to water, you discover that you are naturally good at it or that you find it very easy to do.

Some mothers take to breastfeeding like a duck to water, while others find they need some help to get started.

Phrasal Verbs:

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
, , , / , , , / , , (downward)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • DUCK — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Duck peut faire référence à : « canard » en anglais ; « se pencher » en anglais, comme dans le titre du film Duck and Cover …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Duck — Duck, n. [OE. duke, doke. See {Duck}, v. t. ] 1. (Zool.) Any bird of the subfamily {Anatin[ae]}, family {Anatid[ae]}. [1913 Webster] Note: The genera and species are numerous. They are divided into {river ducks} and {sea ducks}. Among the former… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • duck — Ⅰ. duck [1] ► NOUN (pl. same or ducks) 1) a waterbird with a broad blunt bill, short legs, webbed feet, and a waddling gait. 2) the female of such a bird. Contrasted with DRAKE(Cf. ↑drake). 3) (also ducks) Brit. informal …   English terms dictionary

  • duck — duck; duck·er; duck·let; duck·ling; geo·duck; mal·duck; shel·duck; shell·duck; duck·ing; goo·ey·duck; …   English syllables

  • Duck — Duck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ducked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ducking}.] [OE. duken, douken, to dive; akin to D. duiken, OHG. t?hhan, MHG. tucken, t[ u]cken, t?chen, G. tuchen. Cf. 5th {Duck}.] 1. To thrust or plunge under water or other liquid and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • duck — duck1 [duk] n. [ME doke < OE duce, lit., diver, ducker < base of * ducan, to plunge, dive (see DUCK2); replaces OE ened (akin to Ger ente), common Gmc word for the bird ] 1. pl. ducks or duck any of a large number of relatively small… …   English World dictionary

  • duck|y — «DUHK ee», adjective, duck|i|er, duck|i|est, noun, plural duck|ies. Informal. –adj. 1. darling; charmi …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dück — ist der Name folgender Personen: Alexander Dück (* 1980), deutscher Eishockeyspieler Anton von Dück (1801–1866), österreichischer Kaufmann und Politiker Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • duck — dək n, pl ducks or duck any of various swimming birds (family Anatidae, the duck family) in which the neck and legs are short, the feet typically webbed, the bill often broad and flat, and the sexes usu. different from each other in plumage …   Medical dictionary

  • Duck — (d[u^]k), v. i. 1. To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to dive; to plunge the head in water or other liquid; to dip. [1913 Webster] In Tiber ducking thrice by break of day. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To drop the head or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Duck — (d[u^]k), n. [Cf. Dan. dukke, Sw. docka, OHG. doccha, G. docke. Cf. {Doxy}.] A pet; a darling. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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