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to duck

to duck

14 2.7
To put something quickly into a liquid and take it out
  • verb
  • /dʌk/
translation icon : sumergir
  • She ducked her hands into the cool water to wash them.

Examples

  • The kids ducked into the pool to cool off from the heat.

  • He ducked his body quickly under the water to escape the splash.

  • So I duck into this bar.

  • So I just thought I'd duck in there.

  • I'll just duck into the closet.

  • I'll duck into the kitchen and see what's happened to Edward and the coffee.

  • You duck into Papa's classroom.

  • He ducked into this house.

  • Again, I began to choke and almost panic, but we ducked into a driveway.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Another morning it was drizzling, so we ducked into a nearby trattoria for breakfast.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

to dip
vsto duck
146 1.0

To put something quickly into a liquid and take it out again

is the general quick action not tied to specific purposes
to dunk
vsto duck
24 2.7

To dip something quickly into a liquid, often food

is the general quick action not limited to food
to douse
vsto duck
3 4.9

To put something briefly into a liquid

is the quick in-and-out action but less forceful or sudden

Idioms

duck soup
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A task that is very easy to do

Have a first success after trying and failing

can a duck swim
  • Informal
9.5

A question people ask to show the answer is clearly yes

9.9

A situation when you must give full effort or you get nothing

Phrasal Verbs

to duck out
  • Informal
12 7.2

To leave a place quickly and quietly to avoid something you should do

To give food to ducks at a park or pond for fun

3 4.2

To lower your body quickly by bending your knees to avoid being seen or hit

To move quickly and skillfully to avoid things or difficult problems

to duck off
  • Offensive
9.9

To leave quickly and quietly or tell someone rudely to go away

Compounds

sitting duck
  • Informal
33 6.8

Something that others can harm or take advantage of

lame duck
  • Literature
30 7.4

An elected leader still in office who has lost real power

7 3.2

An outdoor activity where people shoot ducks for food or sport

dead duck
  • Informal
4 8.6

A person or thing sure to fail

3 2.2

A thick sweet and sour sauce served with Chinese food

2 2.8

A person who hunts ducks for sport or food

2 5.9

Having a beak or snout like a duck's

1 5.8

A brightly colored North American duck that nests in tree holes near water

1 2.0

A water bird like a mallard that lives in lakes and rivers and is not kept by people

1 6.0

A dark brown duck found in eastern North America

1 3.9

A duck that swims underwater to find food, often in lakes or bays

1 8.4

A smooth spread made from duck liver, often served on bread

A large plant-eating dinosaur with a long, flat beak like a duck

1 7.2

A mammal from Australia that lays eggs and has a duck-like bill and webbed feet

1 7.4

A diving duck with a purplish head often seen in lakes

A small brightly colored duck from East Asia often kept by people

A large wild North American duck with a sloping profile and red head prized by hunters for its meat

cold duck
  • Archaic
9.3

A pink sparkling wine that people make by mixing red and white wines and serve cold

A duck that feeds by tipping its head into shallow water while its tail stays up

A fake duck made of wood or plastic that hunters use to attract real ducks

9.9

A funny, scary-looking duck figure used in jokes or shows

2.8

Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing

A small duck-shaped toy that makes a quacking sound when pressed

duck shot
  • Specialized
7.2

Small metal balls put in shotgun shells for hunting ducks

A large sea duck from northern coasts whose female gives soft down used in quilts and pillows

9.9

A habit of preferring the first way you learn and resisting later changes

7.8

A large diving duck with a crest and a thin hooked bill for catching fish

A medium diving bird whose male has a purple head and a blue bill

7.8

A duck that lives and feeds in muddy water

8.3

A large duck from Central and South America kept for meat and eggs

8.0

A large wild duck with a crest that people raise for meat and eggs

golden duck
  • Jargon
9.0

Being out for zero runs on the first ball a batsman faces in cricket

queer duck
  • Archaic
9.6

A person who acts in a strange or unusual way

7.1

A small duck with a reddish-brown body and a stiff tail

A duck with a long neck and long thin tail feathers

8.4

A diving duck from North America with a blue-grey bill that lives in lakes and near the sea

5.8

A large diving bird that lives by the sea and dives for food

9.0

A colorful North American bird that nests in holes in trees

How Deep

to submerge
42 3.9
to immerse
9 4.2
to duck
14 2.7

Surface Forms

duck infinitive
ducked past
ducked past participle
ducking present participle
ducks third person singular

Etymology

Duck meaning 'to dip quickly into liquid' is like the bird that puts its head into water, so to duck something is to push it into liquid and take it out again.