I. ˈdäj verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
intransitive verb
1.
a. obsolete : to behave evasively in speech or action : haggle over terms : parley
b. : to evade responsibility or a duty especially by trickery or deceit
she dodged again, she lied again, and felt no guilt — Ethel Wilson
c. : to minimize a presentation (as of facts) : present something less harshly or forcefully than might be possible
he never dodges, never seeks refuge in platitudinous generalities — Saturday Review
d. : to move to and fro or from place to place usually in an irregular course
had to dodge backward and forward between London, Scotland, and Ireland — Times Literary Supplement
dodging in and out among the crowd
dodged in long zigzag leaps
often : to make a sudden movement in a new direction (as to evade a blow)
he dodged behind the door
2. : to step backward in striking order — used of a bell in change ringing
transitive verb
1. : to evade (as a responsibility) usually subtly and without positive repudiation
that's dodging the question
the fact that these deficiencies exist ought not to be dodged — Dexter Perkins
those young men who dodge the draft
2. : to evade by a sudden or by repeated shift of place or position
dodging a hail of bullets
: avoid an encounter with (as by suddenly turning aside)
she dodged him in the crowd
3. archaic : to follow (as a person) stealthily concealing oneself from view : dog
4. : to reduce the intensity of (a portion of a photograph) by selectively shading or selectively masking by chemical means during printing — compare burn in
Synonyms:
dodge , parry , sidestep , duck , shirk , fence , and malinger agree in meaning to avoid or evade by some maneuver or shift. dodge implies quickness of movement or a sudden shift of position especially in an unexpected direction (as in evading a blow or pursuit)
I looked up just in time to dodge a window frame falling from a fourth-story apartment — T.P.Whitney
the trouble has often been diagnosed, but it is always being dodged or minimized by the moralist — E.M.Forster
he hides in a dream world, dodging all responsibility — Ruth Blodgett
parry implies a warding off (as of a blow) as by turning the object aside, extending commonly to any adroitness in defending oneself
the Modoc bands parried thrust after thrust of the Federal troops — American Guide Series: Oregon
a new species of general, to parry a kind of enemy that was not described in the textbooks — Time
developing some adroitness in parrying awkward questions from the press — Edmond Taylor
sidestep implies a refusal to face by suddenly or ingeniously moving out of the way (as of something that threatens)
a man who sidesteps difficulties by quick thinking — Hazel Sullivan
Thomas sidestepped the snare which besets the prose playwright — Kenneth Tynan
he realized that every single speaker, with two courageous exceptions, had sidestepped the issue — H.A.Overstreet
duck , close to sidestep , implies avoidance or evasion by or as if by bobbing down the head or suddenly stooping out of the way, suggesting possibly more purposeful evasion than sidestep
the way for a reviewer to duck such a question — Newsweek
on the whole the major studios have ducked controversy, seldom fighting censorship — Saturday Night
certainly some ministers and teachers have ducked the facts of life — McGeorge Bundy
shirk implies evasion by means that suggest laziness, cowardice, or sneakiness
that is my duty and I shall not shirk it — H.S.Truman
a war which must be fought out and not shirked — Walter Moberly
the critic cannot forgo the attempt nor shirk the responsibility — C.I.Glicksberg
does not shirk the horrors of his scene — W.E.Allen
fence , usually figurative, in this context suggests any dexterous purposeful maneuver to avoid an issue or to ward something off (as embarrassing questions)
spent much time in fencing on the witness stand
it is rather odd that, after successfully fencing with the police, prosecutors, and other officials for weeks, she should have made a slip and mentioned Halloran's name — E.D.Radin
the president showed a new capability for fencing with the press — Time
malinger implies a shirking or delaying by pretense of illness, weakness, or incapacity
a malingering old colonel … pleading dysentery — Time
malingering was rare, however, if we adhere to the definition that it is an act or behavior in an otherwise normal individual for the purpose of evading military duty — W.C.Menninger
tried to escape it for more than ten juvenile years of my life, often successfully by playing truant day after day, or by malingering — F.N.Souza
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an act or means of evading
2.
a. : avoidance (as of contact) by sudden evasive bodily movement
he made a sudden dodge aside as the door swung to
b. : an artful device to evade, deceive, or trick : a crafty or subtle evasion
the suprising dodges used to escape taxation
just another dodge to get out of working
c. : an expedient or scheme
through the dodges and changes of Latin America's most dangerously significant revolution — Duncan Aikman
penny-pinching dodges
often : a method, technique, or way of life that tends to effect an end usually with notable or increased effectiveness
if you think the jingle dodge is easy — H.D.Quigg
got into the cowboy dodge because it looked more promising than cotton picking — Martin Levin
making use of a new market dodge to increase unit sales
3. : a backward step or one of a series of zigzags taken by a bell in change ringing
Synonyms: see trick
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- on the dodge
III. transitive verb
or dodge the bullet
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- dodge a bullet