ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ducking

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈdəkɪŋ// UK //dˈʌkɪŋ// duck·ing Humorous Slang

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.


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.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Suggested by predictive text or autocorrect on some devices.

Etymology 2

Nominalization of duck (verb), a denominal verb of duck (noun), from ellipsis of rubber duck.

Usage

The verb can be used intransitively or with a preposition like 'under' or 'behind'.

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