Background for duck

duck

/dʌk/

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verb

To quickly lower the head or body in order to prevent it from being struck by something.

Examples :

"The ball came flying at Amelia, so she ducked quickly to avoid getting hit. "

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verb

To quickly lower (the head) in order to prevent it from being struck by something.

Examples :

"When the ball came flying, Sarah ducked to avoid getting hit on the head. "

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verb

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

Examples :

"The chef carefully ducked the raw fish into the ice bath to quickly cool it. "

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verb

To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to plunge one's head into water or other liquid.

Examples :

"The child quickly ducked under the water and popped back up, giggling. "

action body nature

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verb

Examples :

"The student ducked her head in shame when she realized she had forgotten her homework. "

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verb

To evade doing something.

Examples :

"To avoid doing the dishes, the teenager ducked out of the kitchen. "

action attitude

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verb

To lower the volume of (a sound) so that other sounds in the mix can be heard more clearly.

Examples :

"The teacher ducked the background music so the students could hear her instructions more clearly. "

sound music technology media entertainment communication technical

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verb

To enter a place for a short moment.

Examples :

"I'll duck into the library for a few minutes to grab a book. "

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noun

An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet.

Examples :

"The duck waddled across the pond near the schoolyard. "

animal bird nature biology

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noun

Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling.

Examples :

"The duck laid a large, speckled egg. "

"The duck laid several eggs in the garden. "

animal bird biology

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noun

The flesh of a duck used as food.

Examples :

"The chef prepared a delicious meal featuring roasted duck. "

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noun

A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (short for duck's egg, since the digit "0" is round like an egg.)

Examples :

"My younger brother got a duck in his cricket match today. "

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noun

A playing card with the rank of two.

Examples :

"My friend drew a duck from the deck of cards. "

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noun

A partly-flooded cave passage with limited air space.

Examples :

"The explorers cautiously entered the duck, their helmets equipped with oxygen tanks. "

geology geography place environment technical

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noun

A building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related.

Examples :

"A luncheonette in the shape of a coffee cup is particularly conspicuous, as is intended of an architectural duck or folly."

architecture building style

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noun

A marble to be shot at with another marble (the shooter) in children's games.

Examples :

"My brother loves to play marbles. He uses a strong flick to shoot his marble at the duck. "

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noun

A cairn used to mark a trail.

Examples :

"The hikers followed the path marked by a small duck. "

geography way mark environment

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noun

One of the weights used to hold a spline in place for the purpose of drawing a curve.

Examples :

"The draftsman carefully placed the duck on the spline to draw the curved line for the design. "

technical art computing

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noun

A long-necked medical urinal for men.

Examples :

"The doctor showed the patient the special duck, explaining that it was designed for easier urination. "

medicine utensil device

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noun

A person or thing that is helpless, inefficient or disabled.

Examples :

"The new student was a duck at math; he struggled with even the simplest problems. "

person character negative

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noun

An elected official who has lost the recent election or is not eligible for reelection and is marking time until leaving office.

Examples :

"Congressman Jones was a lame duck and did not vote on many issues that were important to his constituents."

politics government

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noun

A person who cannot fulfill their contracts.

Examples :

"The company sued the developer because he was a duck, failing to complete the agreed-upon building project on time. "

business finance law

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noun

A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth.

Examples :

"The sailboat's sail was made of strong duck. "

material nautical

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noun

(in plural) Trousers made of such material.

Examples :

"My grandfather wore sturdy duck trousers to work in the garden all day. "

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noun

A term of endearment; pet; darling.

Examples :

"And hold-fast is the only dog, my duck (William Shakespeare - The Life of King Henry the Fifth, Act 2, Scene 3)."

language word phrase

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noun

Dear, mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger).

Examples :

""Duck, I need to talk to you about the project." "

language word communication