DODGING Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

dodging 1 of 2

noun

as in escape

the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable the governor's repeated dodging of tough questions at the press conference

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dodging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dodge

as in ducking

to move suddenly aside or to and fro dodging through the crowd on his way to the exit

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in circumventing

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness always trying to dodge the landlord's rule prohibiting pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in avoiding

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery dodged the horde of paparazzi by leaving through the service entrance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dodging

Noun

China appears to be the main culprit behind the tariff dodging, processing exports through more than 40 other countries, according to the report. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Many Londoners have firsthand experience of phone-snatching or have witnessed a surge in shoplifting and subway fare-dodging. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Not everyone wants to spend the Fourth dodging booms. — Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2026 Ditching grass and dodging HOAs, some homeowners are opting for native lawns. — Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 8 June 2026 When McKenzie asks him how much he’s contributed to the coffers of politicians, his dodging of the question is pure dissembling theater. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026 Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing around 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Fedorov said in January. — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026 Starter Seth Lugo pitched four strong innings, including artful dodging of traffic in the second, and the bullpen stranded seven Colombia base runners the rest of the way. — Maria Torres, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 All combat is close combat, made harder by the fact that running and dodging depletes Shimizu’s stamina quite quickly, leaving her too exhausted to run through maze-like streets and alleyways, or fight off whatever horrible thing is waiting around the next corner. — Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025

Verb

The cheeky reference to Fielder’s doc earned a smile from Seyfried, though the actress continued dodging direct references to Holmes. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2026 This moment is different, and all the advice about dodging this dodgy issue is now wrong. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 He's accused the Democrat of dodging questions about his own record and trying to distract voters with personal attacks. — AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 As the car drives on while dodging a series of explosions, a seemingly endless number of terrorists armed with automatic weapons shoot at it to no avail. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 Video taken in cities including Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg showed demonstrators facing off with police, lighting fires and dodging tear gas. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 That’s three straight victories of Watson dodging defenders to lead fourth-quarter scoring drives and a rugged defense making opponents work for every throw. — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Coding a malicious program that steals private data while dodging detection by antivirus tools is hard. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026 In the mid-70s, Stallone was a struggling actor, only landing gigs in shady erotic movies and dodging ever-piling bills, made even more pressing by the upcoming arrival of his first child. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dodging

Noun

Lisa lets a dolphin named Snorky escape from Marine World after seeing his trainers taunt him for the amusement of slack-jawed yokels.

— Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
Southwest Airlines will add 11 new nonstop international routes to its schedule beginning in November, giving travelers more options for their next tropical escape.

— Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

Lastly, try ducking into Casey Rubber Stamps, founded in 1979, in the West Village, and a neighborhood fixture since 2003.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
The system lets robots choose suitable movements, such as stepping over objects, ducking under overhead barriers, or turning sideways to pass through narrow gaps.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of ducking

Verb

The lawsuit marks the latest crackdown under the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, also known as the BOTS Act, which bans scalpers from circumventing ticket limits with technology.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, prisons were a way of circumventing the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of circumventing

Verb

Kushner so far has participated little in the ceremony of the job, avoiding most receptions and ribbon cuttings.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Exercise, avoiding alcohol or even getting enough sleep aren’t the factors most connected to college students’ well-being.

— Roxanne Prichard, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Noun

Chiu was convicted of murder, second-degree robbery, assault with a firearm and reckless evasion of police.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains that the restriction is a legitimate tool for preventing tax evasion and protecting federal revenue.

— Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of evasion

Verb

Combat sequences, set in the Pacific theater and filmed in Australia, look expansive and authentic, weaving around hundreds of soldiers running and shouting and shooting at once.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
The process was particularly intricate, as each interlacing detail on the bodice had to be carefully constructed by weaving hundreds of meters of rouleau and while maintaining the tension and precision of the corsetry underneath.

— Shelby Wax, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaving

Verb

He was also convicted of felony evading arrest, KTXS reported.

— Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026
The risks are already visible in models that deploy agents capable of evading their guardrails, escaping their sandboxes, cheating to obtain their goals, and covering their tracks to conceal the cheating.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of evading

Verb

And announcing a move is not the same thing as escaping the tax.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
The court found that the directive to fast to death was implemented by targeting children first, while guards were deployed to prevent them from escaping, beating those who attempted to escape or eat.

— Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of escaping

Browse Nearby Words

dodginess

dodging

dodgy

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Style

“Dodging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodging. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dodging

noun

verb

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