ducked
v. B1 Intermediate US //ˈdəkt// UK //dˈʌkt// ducked
v. lowered your head or body quickly to avoid being seen or hit by something. You also use this when you move into a place quickly to get out of the way.
v. the past tense of 'duck'; refers to the action of lowering the head or torso rapidly to evade an object or observation. Often implies a sudden, instinctive physical movement.
He ducked when he saw the ball flying toward him.
She ducked behind the counter to avoid being spotted by the customer walking past the window.
As the low-hanging branch swept toward the boat, every passenger ducked instinctively to avoid a collision that could have caused serious injury.
Usage
The verb can be used intransitively or with a prepositional phrase indicating direction or location.