# dodge

/ˈdɑdʒ/ (US) · /dˈɒdʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dodge
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to move out of the way

verb · CEFR B1

to move your body quickly to one side so that something does not hit you.

For teachers: to avoid a physical impact or capture by moving suddenly out of the way. Ambitransitive usage.

- The boy had to dodge quickly to avoid the ball flying toward his head.
- The cyclist managed to dodge the opening car door by inches, swerving into the empty lane just in time.

### 2. to avoid a duty or question

verb · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. photography

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to make a specific part of a photo lighter.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. a clever trick

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a clever or dishonest way of avoiding something.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- Claiming he was busy was a simple dodge.
- His vague response was a clear dodge to avoid answering the reporter's direct question.
- The company used a complex series of legal dodges involving offshore shell corporations to avoid paying millions in domestic taxes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.