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🤏 To crouch 🪶 Soft feathers
to duck down

to duck down

12 4.2
To lower your body quickly by bending your knees to avoid being seen or hit
  • phrasal verb
  • /dʌk daʊn/
: agacharse
  • As the ball flew toward him, he quickly ducked down to avoid getting hit.
  • ducked down to hide
  • ducked down behind the counter
  • ducks down into the seat

By the time I got there they pressed all the buttons and ducked down out of view you know.

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Examples

  • Instinctively, Cutter ducks down and crouches behind the partition.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • As cars drive by, Jim ducks down into the shadows - CUT TO EXT STREETCORNER - NIGHT.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • We're trying to get in to the House floor and there he is ducking down, scared.

  • Usually she ducked down when they drove around town so no one could see her.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Quickly, she ducks down and moves deeper into the crowds.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I duck down a sidestreet and stop in front of the window of a restaurant.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Hearing the sound of an approaching vehicle, I frantically ducked down.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hector ducks down but knows he has been seen and decides to brazen it out.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Sharee let go of Delaware's hand and ducked down, hiding her head in both arms.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • His heart was pounding as he ducked down and entered the tipi.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

to get down
vsto duck down
348 1.8

To crouch or kneel down to a lower position

is usually a quicker action meant to avoid being hit or seen
to duck
vsto duck down
168 1.7

To lower your head or body quickly to avoid being hit

is a rapid lowering usually meant to avoid being seen or struck
to crouch
vsto duck down
71 1.8

To lower your body close to the ground by bending your knees and leaning forward

is usually faster and aimed at avoiding sight or impact
to squat
vsto duck down
51 3.4

To bend your knees, lower your body, then stand up

is mainly quicker and for avoiding sight or impact rather than exercise
to cower
vsto duck down
44 6.1

To bend down or move back because you are afraid

is usually quicker and often done to dodge being hit rather than from fear
to hunker
vsto duck down
40 7.5

To bend your knees and lower your body close to the ground

is similar but usually faster and for sudden avoidance
to stoop
vsto duck down
17 2.6

To bend your body forward at the waist

is faster and more about avoiding sight or impact than bending at the waist
to scrunch up
vsto duck down
  • Informal
5 4.3

To crouch down close to the ground by bending the knees

is often quicker and used to avoid being seen or struck
to hit the dirt
vsto duck down
  • Informal
4 7.5

Drop to the ground quickly to avoid danger

is similar but focuses on a rapid fall rather than a controlled low pose
to couch
vsto duck down
3 5.7

To lower your body close to the ground to hide or protect yourself

is quicker and usually done to avoid being seen or hit

Antonyms

to stand up
378 1.0

To get up from sitting or lying and be on your feet

How Low

to crouch
71 1.8
to duck down
12 4.2
to stoop
17 2.6
to bend
84 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

duck + down

The sense 'to lower your body quickly' is directly and compositionally built from the verb sense of 'duck' (to lower/crouch) combined with 'down' (to a lower position), so a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer the action. Although 'duck' is listed here as a noun, the relevant verb sense is common and the motion/position combination is cross-linguistically familiar, making the expression immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The verb duck down comes from the quick movement of a duck lowering itself toward the ground, so when people 'duck down' they bend or crouch quickly to avoid being seen or hit.