duck
duck — noun
1. a common water bird with short legs, a wide flat beak, and feet joined by skin (
a common water bird with short legs, a wide flat beak, and feet joined by skin (webbed feet), often seen swimming on ponds, lakes, and rivers
Every morning the children feed the ducks and geese on the village pond.
collocation: feed the ducks
A wild duck landed on the lake near Aoi's cabin and stayed for three days.
Renata took a photo of a duck swimming with its babies near the bridge.
The duck spread its wings and shook water off its feathers after diving.
2. the meat of a duck, cooked and eaten as a meal
the meat of a duck, cooked and eaten as a meal
The chef roasted a whole duck with honey and served it with vegetables.
common dish: roast duck
Asher ordered crispy duck pancakes at the Chinese restaurant near his flat.
collocation: crispy duck / duck pancakes
Duck meat tastes richer than chicken and is often paired with fruit sauces.
Trang's grandmother taught her how to prepare duck soup with ginger and herbs.
用法筆記
Uncountable as a food ingredient ('some duck', 'roast duck'). Countable only when referring to whole birds ('two ducks in the oven').
常見錯誤
3. an affectionate word you call a person you are fond of, similar to 'dear' or 'da
an affectionate word you call a person you are fond of, similar to 'dear' or 'darling'
Thanks for the flowers, duck — that was so thoughtful of you!
informal British term of address
Don't worry about it, duck, everything will work out fine.
An elderly woman patted his arm, saying, "You look tired, duck — come sit down."
Sirin called out to her friend, "See you later, duck!" across the busy market street.
用法筆記
Used mainly in British and Australian English. More common among older speakers and in northern England. Can sound unnatural in American English.
常見錯誤
4. a score of zero runs, given to a batter who is out before scoring any runs in a
a score of zero runs, given to a batter who is out before scoring any runs in a cricket match
Ezra was out for a duck in the season's first match, disappointing the team.
phrase: out for a duck
The captain scored a golden duck — out on the very first ball he faced.
specific term: golden duck (out on first ball)
Only two batters reached double figures that innings; the rest got a duck.
The crowd fell quiet when their best player walked back with a duck.
用法筆記
Almost always used with the indefinite article: 'a duck'. A golden duck means being out on the first ball. A diamond duck means being out without facing a ball.
duck — verb
1. to quickly drop your head or upper body downward, typically to keep from being s
to quickly drop your head or upper body downward, typically to keep from being struck by something or banging into a low object
Lukas ducked just in time as the low branch swung toward his face.
intransitive: duck (no object)
When the ball came flying over the fence, everyone on the bench ducked down.
phrasal: duck down
The doorway was so short that Amani had to duck her head to get through.
Soldiers ducked behind the sandbags when they heard gunfire nearby.
文法句型
duck (down)
duck + noun phrase (transitive)
用法筆記
Often used with directional adverbs ('duck down', 'duck under'). The transitive form takes a body part as object ('duck your head').
常見錯誤
2. to briefly push a person or thing so they go under water, or to dip yourself ben
to briefly push a person or thing so they go under water, or to dip yourself beneath the surface and come straight back up
Christopher laughed and ducked his little brother in the swimming pool.
transitive: duck someone in water
Shanti ducked under the surface to avoid the splash her friends were making.
intransitive: duck under the surface
The playful otter ducked its head underwater and came up holding a fish.
During the game at the lake, the children took turns ducking each other for fun.
文法句型
duck + noun phrase (transitive)
duck (intransitive)
用法筆記
With a person as object ('duck someone'), this is a playful or aggressive action. Without an object, it means submerging oneself briefly.
常見錯誤
3. to move quickly into or behind a place, especially to avoid being seen, found, o
to move quickly into or behind a place, especially to avoid being seen, found, or caught
Élise ducked into a shop doorway when she saw her ex-boss coming down the street.
pattern: duck into [sheltered place]
The cat ducked behind the sofa when the vacuum cleaner started making noise.
When it started raining suddenly, everyone ducked under the nearest awning.
Darius ducked around the corner to avoid walking straight into his teacher.
文法句型
duck + preposition phrase (into, behind, around)
用法筆記
Almost always followed by a preposition (into, behind, under, around, through). The focus is on speed and avoiding detection, not just physical danger.
4. to intentionally not answer a question directly or to not deal with a difficult
to intentionally not answer a question directly or to not deal with a difficult duty or problem
Every time the reporter asked about the missing money, the politician ducked the question.
collocation: duck a question
Stop ducking the issue and tell us whether you will resign or not.
collocation: duck the issue
Renata ducked her responsibility by claiming she knew nothing about the deadline.
Asher ducked every difficult topic during the meeting and only talked about small matters.
文法句型
duck + question / issue / responsibility
用法筆記
Informal; a more neutral alternative is 'avoid'. Stronger/more disapproving alternatives include 'dodge' and 'evade'.