dodge

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to avoid doing something you should do, or to avoid answering a difficult question.

v. to evade a responsibility, obligation, or inquiry through cleverness or deceit.

“The politician tried to dodge the reporter's question about the new tax.”

“He was accused of trying to dodge his military service by moving to another country before the draft began.”

C1 · Advanced Photography Technical

v. to make a specific part of a photo lighter.

v. to decrease the exposure of a specific area of a photographic print to make it lighter.

“I need to dodge the shadows in this portrait to show more detail in his face.”

“The printer decided to dodge the foreground of the landscape to balance the exposure against the bright sky.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a clever or dishonest way of avoiding something.

n. a stratagem or clever trick used to evade a rule, tax, or duty.

“Using a business account for personal trips is a common tax dodge.”

“The company's latest accounting dodge allowed them to hide millions in losses from their shareholders for over a year.”