duck

II. duck² BrE AmE verb
1. (also duck down) [intransitive and transitive] to lower your head or body very quickly, especially to avoid being seen or hit:
If she hadn’t ducked, the ball would have hit her.
duck behind/under etc
Jamie saw his father coming and ducked quickly behind the wall.
Tim ducked down to comb his hair in the mirror.
She ducked her head to look more closely at the inscription.
2. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move somewhere very quickly, especially to avoid being seen or to get away from someone
duck into
The two men ducked into a block of flats and disappeared.
duck out of
She ducked out of the door before he could stop her.
duck back
‘Wait a minute’, he called, ducking back inside.
3. [transitive] informal to avoid something, especially a difficult or unpleasant duty SYN dodge:
The ruling body wanted to duck the issue of whether players had been cheating.
Glazer ducked a question about his involvement in the bank scandal.
4. [transitive] to push someone under water for a short time as a joke
duck somebody under something
Tom grabbed him from behind to duck him under the surface.
duck out of something phrasal verb
to avoid doing something that you have to do or have promised to do:
I always ducked out of history lessons at school.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

verb
1. intransitive, transitive to move your head or body downwards to avoid being hit or seen
• He had to duck as he came through the door.
• ~ (down) (behind/under sth) We ducked down behind the wall so they wouldn't see us.
• He ducked under the overhanging branches.
• He just managed to duck out of sight.

• ~ sth She ducked her head and got into the car.

2. transitive ~ sth to avoid sth by moving your head or body out of the way
Syn: dodge

• He ducked the first few blows then started to fight back.

3. intransitive + adv./prep. to move somewhere quickly, especially in order to avoid being seen

• She ducked into the adjoining room as we came in.

4. intransitive, transitive (rather informal) to avoid a difficult or unpleasant duty or responsibility
• ~ out of sth It's his turn to cook dinner, but I bet he'll try to duck out of it.

• ~ sth The government is ducking the issue.

5. (NAmE also dunk) transitive ~ sb to push sb underwater and hold them there for a short time
• The kids were ducking each other in the pool.

Word Origin:
n. senses 1 to 3 Old English duce Germanic duck ‘diving bird’
v. Middle English Germanic Dutch duiken German tauchen ‘dive, dip, plunge’ duck
n. sense 5 mid 19th cent. duck's egg
n. sense 4 late 16th cent. duck

Example Bank:
• He had to duck through the low doorway.
• He just managed to duck out of sight.
• I ducked down behind the table.
• She ducked under the railings and ran towards him.
• He ducked the first few blows, then started to fight back.
• It's his turn to cook dinner, but I bet he'll try to duck out of it.

• We ducked down behind the wall.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

duck / dʌk / verb

[ I or T ] to move your head or the top part of your body quickly down, especially to avoid being hit:

I saw the ball hurtling towards me and ducked (down) .

Duck your head or you'll bang it on the doorframe.

[ T ] to push someone underwater for a short time:

The boys were splashing about and ducking each other in the pool.

[ I + adv/prep ] to move quickly to a place, especially in order not to be seen:

When he saw them coming, he ducked into a doorway.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

duck

[dʌ̱k]
ducks, ducking, ducked
1) N-VAR A duck is a very common water bird with short legs, a short neck, and a large flat beak.
  Chickens and ducks scratch around the outbuildings.
N-UNCOUNT
Duck is the flesh of this bird when it is eaten as food. ...honey roasted duck.
2) N-COUNT A duck is a female duck. The male is called a drake.
  I brought in one drake and three ducks.
3) VERB If you duck, you move your head or the top half of your body quickly downwards to avoid something that might hit you, or to avoid being seen.
  He ducked in time to save his head from a blow from the poker...
  [V n] He ducked his head to hide his admiration...
  [V adv/prep] I wanted to duck down and slip past but they saw me.
4) VERB If you duck something such as a blow, you avoid it by moving your head or body quickly downwards.
  [V n] Hans deftly ducked their blows.
  Syn:
  dodge
5) VERB If you duck into a place, you move there quickly, often in an attempt to avoid danger or to avoid being seen. [mainly INFORMAL]
  [V prep/adv] Matt ducked into his office...
  [V prep/adv] He ducked through the door and looked about frantically.
  Syn:
  dart
6) VERB (disapproval) You say that someone ducks a duty or responsibility when you disapprove of the fact that they avoid it. [INFORMAL]
  [V n] The Opposition reckons the Health Secretary has ducked all the difficult decisions...
  [V n] He had ducked the confrontation with United Nations inspectors last summer.
  Syn:
  shirk
7) VERB If someone ducks someone else, they force them or their head under water for a short time.
  [V n] She splashed around in the pool with Mark, rowdily trying to duck him.
8) → See also dead duck, lame duck, sitting duck
9) N-VOC (feelings) Some people call other people duck or ducks as a sign of affection. [BRIT]
  Oh, I am glad to see you, duck.
10) PHRASE: v-link PHR (emphasis) You say that criticism is like water off a duck's back or water off a duck's back to emphasize that it is not having any effect on the person being criticized.
  All the criticism is water off a duck's back to me.
11) PHRASE: V inflects If you take to something like a duck to water, you discover that you are naturally good at it or that you find it very easy to do.
  Some mothers take to breastfeeding like a duck to water, while others find they need some help to get started.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

duck

²duck verb ducks; ducked; duck·ing
1 a [no obj] : to lower your head or body suddenly to avoid being seen or hit
• The ceiling was so low I had to duck.
- often + down
• Quick, duck down before they see us!
b [+ obj] : to lower (your head) suddenly
• The ceiling was so low I had to duck my head.
• He ducked his head so they wouldn't see him.
c [+ obj] : to avoid (something, such as a punch) by lowering your head or body suddenly
• He ducked the punch.
2 [+ obj] : to avoid (something or someone you do not want to see or deal with)
• We can't afford to duck the issue any longer.
• He managed to duck [=evade] the question.
• They've been ducking each other for months.
3 always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] : to move quickly
• She ducked into a store when it started to rain.
• He ducked around a corner.
4 [+ obj] Brit : to push (someone or something) underwater : dunk
• The children were ducking each other in the pool.
duck out [phrasal verb] informal : to leave suddenly and usually without telling anyone that you are leaving
• We ducked out after the first act of the play.
- often + on or of
• They ducked out on us without even saying goodbye.
• I had to duck out of the meeting to take a phone call.
- often used figuratively
• He wants to duck out of the contract. [=to get out of the contract]
• She ducked out on paying the bill for the meal. [=she avoided paying the bill in a sneaky or improper way]