dodge

1 of 2

noun

1
: an act of evading by sudden bodily movement
2
a
: an artful device to evade, deceive, or trick
b

dodge

2 of 2

verb

dodged; dodging

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move to and fro or from place to place usually in an irregular course
dodged through the crowd
b
: to make a sudden movement in a new direction (as to evade a blow)
dodged behind the door
2
: to evade a responsibility or duty especially by trickery or deceit

transitive verb

1
a
: to evade by a sudden or repeated shift of position
dodge tacklers
b
: to avoid an encounter with
celebrities dodging the media
2
: to evade (something, such as a duty) usually indirectly or by trickery
dodged the draft by leaving the country
dodged questions
Phrases
dodge a bullet or less commonly dodge the bullet
: to narrowly avoid an unwelcome, harmful, or disastrous outcome or occurrence
coastal towns dodged a bullet when the hurricane veered out to sea

Examples of dodge in a Sentence

Noun It was just another dodge to get out of working. just another dodge to get out of working in the yard Verb He dodged the first punch but was hit by the second. She dodged through the crowds as she hurried home. We dodged between the cars as we raced across the street. They managed to dodge the reporters by leaving through the back exit. She accused him of dodging his responsibilities as a parent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Investigations of corporate tax dodges are generally civil, not criminal. Jesse Drucker, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Learning the dodges is doable in some fights, if not still unfun, but the insta-death dungeons are deeply frustrating. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 After everyone finishes a pizza dinner at the special needs program, the multipurpose room transforms into a gymnasium to shoot hoops or play dodge ball. Linda Friedel, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Most of his American interlocutors long ago came to understand the dodge. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 What if his desire above all has been existential, the impossible dodge of death? Mitchell S. Jackson, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 Alexandra’s behind-the-scenes stunt is the usual reality-TV dodge. Armond White, National Review, 25 Oct. 2023 Glasgow a century ago was a brutally violent city starkly divided between the haves and the have-nots; in the course of their police work, Dreghorn and McDaid dodge blades, fists, bottles, even cauldrons of boiling soup. Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Bold Glamour has been posted 128.5 million times even as TikTok dodges questions about the effect’s use of AI. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
Verb
When pressed on what data OpenAI used to train Sora, Murati didn’t get too specific and seemed to dodge the question. Emma Roth, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024 More Chinese firms could set up shop in places like Southeast Asia and Latin America to see their goods finished there to dodge the tax. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 More:What to know about the delegates' hotels and protest prep, from organizers of the RNC Congress must still pass a second package of funding bills by March 22 to dodge another shutdown threat. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty in state court in Manhattan to two counts of perjury and will be sentenced in April to five months in jail -- his second stint behind bars after serving 100 days last year for dodging taxes on company perks. Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty in state court in Manhattan to two counts of perjury and will be sentenced in April to five months in jail — his second stint behind bars after serving 100 days last year for dodging taxes on company perks. Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Even $500 million will feel like dodging a bullet rather than deflecting it like the Man of Steel needs to for the DCU to achieve lift off and leaving the recent historically bad years behind permanently. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Lululemon’s mat strap dodges those little annoyances with an adjustable length and sturdy buckles to secure the loops around your mat. Sara Coughlin, SELF, 21 Feb. 2024 Looking to dodge the spring break crowds this spring? Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dodge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1680, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dodge was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near dodge

Cite this Entry

“Dodge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dodge. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dodge

1 of 2 noun
1
: an act of avoiding by sudden bodily movement
2
: a sly means of avoiding, deceiving, or tricking
just another dodge to get out of working
dodger noun

dodge

2 of 2 verb
dodged; dodging
1
a
: to move suddenly aside or to and fro
dodging through the crowd
b
: to avoid by moving quickly aside
dodge a blow
2
: evade sense 1
dodged the question

Biographical Definition

Dodge

biographical name

Mary Elizabeth 1831–1905 née Mapes ˈmāps How to pronounce Dodge (audio) American author

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