ducked

verb

past tense of duck
1
as in avoided
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery don't try to duck your commitment to spending Thanksgiving with your family by claiming you have to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weaved
to move suddenly aside or to and fro duck behind a pillar before they see us

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dipped
to sink or push (something) briefly into or as if into a liquid ducked the new camper in the lake as a joke

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 ducked All of a sudden, Bass was a staggering champion lunging at a revived Raman, who swung and stung and ducked the way only a hungry up-and-comer can. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Final accounting for 2025-26 revenue sharing is still to be completed, but big market clubs are on the hook for bigger bills after seven teams ducked under the luxury tax threshold ahead of the trade deadline. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2026 During her October 2025 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly ducked questions on everything from the Epstein files to the decision to prosecute former FBI director James Comey. — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 According to prosecutors, Gayden pulled out a knife from her bag and first lunged at the sister, who ducked. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 Malick Yalcouye uses his space just outside the box not to shoot but to draw Pedro Neto and Hato out before slipping a pass through to Gross, who has ducked in behind Palmer. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Even so, the show ducked and dived the long arm of the network fuddy-duddies beautifully, skirting the edge of censorship with a knowing wink, clever pun, and out-of-this-world comedic timing. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Dobbins ducked into the medical tent for several plays before emerging with his helmet on along the sideline. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2026 In another fun moment, Reese was talking to the media after the tight win over Italy and Clark ducked past her, apologizing for interrupting her interviews. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ducked
  1. avoided
  2. dodged
  3. dipped
  4. evaded
  5. immersed
  6. escaped
  7. drowned
Verb
  • Alabama avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2007 by beating Texas A&M and returned to the top 10.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Nuggets fans have hoped Denver would have avoided an 0-2 start to the season after dropping the first game of the year to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoided
Verb
  • Take a Fall Hike Galena sits on the southern edge of the Driftless Area, where rivers and rocky bluffs dodged the flattening force of glaciers long ago.
    — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Oregon’s Lanning compares UCLA to national champs Oregon coach Dan Lanning dodged questions this past week about the health of quarterback Dante Moore following a brutal hit during a win over USC by trying to focus on UCLA.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dodged
Verb
  • The team has dipped to a losing record for the first time all season since Week 1 and now has allowed the 3-4 Falcons a direct path to sole ownership of the NFC South later this weekend.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The number of Americans applying for unemployment claims dipped last week to 194,000 — the lowest since mid-July — as layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy job security.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of dipped
Verb
  • On his lone touchdown pass, Mayfield escaped Carolina pressure, evaded to the right, and threw it on the run, off his back foot, all while leaning back.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, Cartwright returns to his deceased grandfather’s home thrilled to see that Baker has successfully evaded both the Russian assassins and MI5’s own rabid dogs.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of evaded
Verb
  • Doherty, reconnecting with Scotland during visits to see his mother, immersed himself in gritty British cinema by filmmakers Shane Meadows and Ken Loach, as well as music by Massive Attack, Siouxsie and the Banshees and PJ Harvey.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The mix of modern and vintage aims to make customers feel fully immersed in the world of Coach, according to a news release.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of immersed
Verb
  • Concerns mounted in July, when OpenAI disclosed that two of its models escaped containment, accessed the open internet and breached a company called Hugging Face.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • So far, these productions have largely escaped disruption, but the riots have rattled film crews and prompted warnings from Hollywood studios’ security departments.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • Despite its size, 2026 ED138 was able to avoid detection for all these years because it’s located in a part of the night sky that’s crowded with stars whose light drowned it out.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026
  • An active fan is better than an overheated laptop, but the Raider 16 Max HX B2W's excellent speakers don't do much good when the sound gets drowned out.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowned

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duck
ducked
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Cite this Entry

“Ducked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ducked. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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