duck

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun British English · Dialect · Informal

n. a friendly way to address someone, similar to 'dear' or 'love'.

n. a term of endearment or a familiar form of address, particularly common in specific British regional dialects.

“Are you alright there, duck? Can I help you with those bags?”

“In parts of the English Midlands, it is perfectly standard for a shopkeeper to address a customer as 'duck' regardless of their gender.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports British English

n. a score of zero in the game of cricket.

n. a batsman's score of zero after being dismissed; an abbreviation of the phrase 'duck's egg'.

“The captain was disappointed to be out for a duck in the final match.”

“After a string of impressive centuries, the opening batsman was unexpectedly dismissed for a golden duck on the first ball of the innings.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Technical

n. a strong, heavy cotton cloth used for making sails, tents, or work clothes.

n. a heavy, plain-woven cotton or linen fabric, more durable than canvas.

“The sailor repaired the old sails using a patch of heavy cotton duck.”

“The workwear brand prides itself on using triple-stitched cotton duck to ensure their trousers withstand the rigours of construction work.”

A2 · Elementary

v. to move your head or body down quickly to avoid being hit or seen.

v. to lower the head or body suddenly, typically to avoid an obstruction or a blow.

“You need to duck when you go through that low doorway.”

“He had to duck instinctively as the stray ball flew toward his head during the warm-up.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to avoid doing something you are supposed to do.

v. to evade a responsibility, duty, or unpleasant situation.

“He tried to duck the question by changing the subject quickly.”

“The politician was accused of trying to duck the debate to avoid answering difficult questions about the new tax policy.”

B1 · Intermediate Informal

v. to move quickly into or out of a place for a short time.

v. to enter or leave a location briefly or surreptitiously; often used with 'in' or 'out'.

“I'm just going to duck into the shop for a bottle of water.”

“She managed to duck out of the meeting ten minutes early to catch her train without anyone noticing.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to push someone or something under water for a short time.

v. to plunge or submerge someone or something briefly under the surface of a liquid.

“The kids were playing in the pool and trying to duck each other.”

“In the past, certain punishments involved ducking the accused into a pond to determine their guilt or innocence.”

C1 · Advanced Computing Technical

v. to lower the volume of one sound so another sound can be heard better.

v. to temporarily reduce the signal level of one audio track to allow another to be heard clearly, often automated via a sidechain compressor.

“The software will automatically duck the music when the narrator speaks.”

“The radio producer adjusted the settings to ensure the background music would duck smoothly whenever the host began the news bulletin.”