Word
ducking
Phoneticsduck·ing
US/ˈdəkɪŋ/
UK/dˈʌkɪŋ/
Definition
v. to move your head or body down quickly to avoid being hit or seen. You also use this when you want to get out of the way of something flying toward you.
v. to lower the head or body suddenly, typically to avoid an object, a blow, or observation. Often used in physical descriptions of movement or evasion.
Examples
“He is ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low door.”
“The children were ducking behind the sofa while playing hide and seek in the living room.”
“By ducking into a narrow alleyway just as the patrol passed, the messenger managed to remain undetected despite the bright moonlight illuminating the main street.”
Examples
simple
“He is ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low door.”
contextual
“The children were ducking behind the sofa while playing hide and seek in the living room.”
complex
“By ducking into a narrow alleyway just as the patrol passed, the messenger managed to remain undetected despite the bright moonlight illuminating the main street.”
Usage
The verb can be used intransitively or with a preposition like 'under' or 'behind'.
Etymology
Suggested by predictive text or autocorrect on some devices.
Nominalization of duck (verb), a denominal verb of duck (noun), from ellipsis of rubber duck.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
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englishreference.com/q/ducking