Duck Meaning

/dʌk/
A2

Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Listen pronunciation

verbTo quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something.

verbTo lower (something) into water; to thrust or plunge under liquid and suddenly withdraw.

Like water off a duck's back.
It's duck soup for a girl of easy virtue to find a new man.
Can you tell a duck from a goose?
Synonyms:
dip
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
A mother ____ led her fluffy ducklings across the pond.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Like water off a ____'s back.

From Middle English ducken, duken, douken (“to duck, plunge under water, submerge”), from Old English *dūcan (“to dip, dive, duck”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan, from Proto-Germanic *dūkaną (“to dip, dive, bend down, stoop, duck”). Cognates Related to Scots dulk (“to duck”), Middle Dutch ducken (“to duck”), Low German ducken (“to duck”), German ducken (“to duck”), Danish dukke, dykke (“to dive”). Related also to Scots dook, douk (“to bathe, drench, soak, baptise”), West Frisian dûke (“to plunge, dive”), Dutch duiken (“to dive, plunge, duck”), Low German duken (“to duck, dive, stoop”), German tauchen (“to dive, plunge, immerse, duck”), Swedish dyka (“to dive, submerge”).

"As some raw youth in country bred, To arms by thirst of honour led, When at a skirmish first he hears The bullets whistling round his ears, Will duck his head aside" — c. 1729, Jonathan Swift, To Dr. Delany on the Libels Written Against Him:
"Rimmer ducked his body low into his chair, so just his head remained above the table top, and peered past the backs of the examinees in front of him, waiting for the adjudicator to make his move." — 1989, Grant Naylor, Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers:
"Adams after ducking the Squire tvvice or thrice leaped out of the Tub, […]" — 1742, Henry Fielding, “A Scene of Roasting Very Nicely Adapted to the Present Taste and Times”, in The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. […], volume II, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book III, page 122:
"[…]In Tiber ducking thrice, by break of day[…]" — 1693, Aulus Persius Flaccus, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus.] The Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 22:
"The Learned pate / Duckes to the Golden Foole." — c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 90, column 2:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
A mother ____ led her fluffy ducklings across the pond.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Like water off a ____'s back.

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