duck

I UK [dʌk] / US noun
Word forms "duck":
singular duck plural ducks
**

1) [countable] a water bird with short legs, webbed feet (= with skin between the toes), and a large flat beak

a) a female duck. The male is called a drake.

b) [uncountable] the meat of a duck

roast duck

c) [only before noun] relating to ducks

duck feathers

2) [countable] a zero score by a batsman in a game of cricket

3) duck or ducks

[countable] British spoken used for talking to someone you like

How are you, duck?

•

- take to something like a duck to water

See:

water I

II UK [dʌk] / US verb
Word forms "duck":
present tense I/you/we/they duck he/she/it ducks present participle ducking past tense ducked past participle ducked
*

1) [intransitive/transitive] to lower your head or head and body quickly, in order to move under something or to avoid being hit

Young children can just duck under the gate and avoid paying.

He ducked the blow and came up again.

2) [transitive] to force someone's head under water for a short time, often in rough play

3)

a) [intransitive] to move quickly into or behind something, especially to avoid being seen

He ducked behind the wall.

b) to go quickly into a place for a specific purpose

Judith ducked under a shop awning to get out of the rain.

4) [transitive] to avoid something such as a difficult question, issue, or duty

Stop trying to duck the issue – who paid you for this?

Phrasal verbs:

- duck out

- duck out of