Phrasal verb
duck out of
Definition
phrasal verb. to avoid doing something you are supposed to do, or to leave a place quietly to avoid being noticed.
phrasal verb. to evade a responsibility or commitment; alternatively, to depart a location or event prematurely and often surreptitiously to avoid social obligation.
Examples
“I need to duck out of the meeting early for an appointment.”
“He tried to duck out of doing the dishes by pretending he had a phone call.”
“The senator attempted to duck out of the debate when the questioning turned toward his controversial voting record and recent financial disclosures.”
Examples
simple
“I need to duck out of the meeting early for an appointment.”
contextual
“He tried to duck out of doing the dishes by pretending he had a phone call.”
complex
“The senator attempted to duck out of the debate when the questioning turned toward his controversial voting record and recent financial disclosures.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun representing a task, a commitment, or a physical location.
Teaching tip
the verb 'duck' suggests a physical movement of lowering the head, which helps students visualize the idea of 'hiding' from a responsibility.
Pitfall
She ducked out the responsibility.
She ducked out of the responsibility.
the preposition 'of' is mandatory when followed by an object in this sense.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
duck + out + of + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/duck-out-of