🤏 To crouch 🪶 Soft feathers

to duck down

3 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 duck

vsto duck down

117 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 get down

vsto duck down

102 1.8

To crouch or kneel down to a lower position

is usually a quicker action meant to avoid being hit or seen

to crouch

vsto duck down

65 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 cower

vsto duck down

41 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

39 7.5

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

is similar but usually faster and for sudden avoidance

to squat

vsto duck down

28 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 stoop

vsto duck down

27 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 hit the dirt

vsto duck down

Informal

3 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 scrunch up

vsto duck down

Informal

1 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 couch

vsto duck down

1 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

559 1.0

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

How Low

to crouch

65 1.8

to duck down

3 4.2

to stoop

27 2.6

to bend

194 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.