1 (plural ducks or duck) [C] a common bird that lives on or near water, with short legs, WEBBED feet (= feet with thin pieces of skin between the toes) and a wide beak. There are many types of duck, some of which are kept for their meat or eggs:
wild ducks * duck eggs * Every afternoon they went to the park to feed the ducks. * Ducks were quacking noisily on the lake.
2 [C] a female duck
compareDRAKE
3 [U] meat from a duck:
roast duck with orange sauce
4 (also duckie, ducks, ducky) [C,usually sing.] (BrE, informal) a friendly way of addressing sb:
Anything else, duck?
compareDEAR, LOVE
5 (a duck) [sing.] (in cricket) a BATSMAN'S score of zero:
He was out for a duck.
seealsoLAMEDUCK, SITTINGDUCK
IDIOMS
(take to sth) like a duck to water (to become used to sth) very easily, without any problems or fears:
She has taken to teaching like a duck to water.
moreatDEADadj., WATERn.
